Eriocrania chrysolepidella
Introduction '''''Eriocrania chrysolepidella''''' (also known as the '''small hazel purple''') is a moth of the family Eriocraniidae found in Europe. It was first described by the German entomologist, Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1851.The larvae mine the leaves of hazel and hornbeam.
Description The wingspan is about 9–13 mm. The head is black-brown with sparse, mixed brown and beige hair-like scales on the head The forewings are golden bronze with light gold and copper to purple scales, forming a reticulate pattern distad There is, basally of the tornus, an indistinct golden spot. The moth flies in April. ;Similar species''Eriocrania cicatricella'' flies around birch trees (''Betula'' species) in April and can be distinguished from ''E. chrysolepidella'' by the differences in genitalia. ;OvumThe egg is usually laid in the leaf-bud of hornbeam (''Carpinus'' species) or hazel (''Corylus'' species). ;LarvaLarvae have a white body with a pale-brown head and may have a pair of brown spots on the pronotum. They mine the leaves, starting at the edge of a leaf, then form a large white blotch and there are often several larvae in a mine. The frass is described as either in long threads or can be granular and clumped together. Host species include; green alder (''Alnus viridis''), hornbeam (''Carpinus betulus''), hazel (''Corylus avellana'') and hop-hornbeam (''Ostrya'' species). ;PupaLarvae pupate in the soil in a tough, silken cocoon.
Distribution It is found in Europe, from Finland to the Pyrenees and Italy, and from Ireland to Romania.
Etymology In 1851, Philipp Christoph Zeller named the moth ''Micropteryx chrysolepidella'' from a specimen found in Vienna, Austria. The moth was later put in the genus ''Erioncrania''. ''Erion'' refers to wool and ''kranion'' means the upper part of the head, which literally means woolly-headed, i.e. rough-haired, referring to the scales on the top of the head. The moth is also put in the genus ''Paracrania'' by some authorities. ''Para'' ″contrary to (as in a paradox)″ and ''kranion'' as above. The specific name refers to golden ground colour of the forewing – from the Greek ''khruson'' gold  and ''lepis'' or ''lepidos'' ″a scale from the golden ground colour of the forewing″.
References
External links *  Swedish Moths*  UKmoths*  British Lepidoptera