Caloptilia leucapennella

Caloptilia leucapennella is a moth of the Gracillariidae family. It is known from all of Europe, except the Balkan Peninsula.

The wingspan is about 13 mm. The typical form of the adult is a pale yellowish white, but there are variations, ranging to the rufous form F. aurantiella. Adults are on wing from July to October and overwinter.^[2]

The larvae feed on Quercus ilex and Quercus robur. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as a narrow lower-surface epidermal gallery, that widens into an oval, eventually full depth blotch between two side veins. Older larvae live freely, at first in a folded leaf margin, later in a partly rolled leaf tip. They possibly prefer young leaves.^[3]

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