Adela reaumurella
The longhorn moths, also known as fairy moths, have long antennae. They do not belong to just one family. There are various similar families. Best known and in possession of the longest horns though are the true longhorn moths in the Adelidae family. Even though they are all quite small, they are striking animals indeed. Their long 'horns' and often beautiful metallic colours attract the attention immediately. So far we have discovered three species in our garden. For all species we have not yet discovered a common English name. Adela reaumurella is a typical representative of this group. The males sometimes dance in large groups, just like mosquitoes do. As in all longhorn moths the antennae of the females are much shorter than the males'. In Adela reaumurella however there's another striking difference: the males have lots of black hairs on the head and the first part of the body. In the top two pictures you seen photographs of the male. The female is rather bald in comparison. But she has a few orange hairs on the face between the eyes, which are not visible on the male. The bottom four pictures are of the female.
