Ethmia pusiella is a moth of the family Depressariidae. It occurs throughout Europe and eastwards to the Tien Shan mountains of eastern Central Asia.See references in Savela (2003)
The wingspan is .
The caterpillars feed on common gromwell (Lithospermum officinale) and Pulmonaria officinalis. They have also been recorded to be myrmecophilous.Grabe (1942), and see references in Savela (2003)
Taxonomy and systematics Ethmia pusiella is the type species of the proposed genera Anesychia and Melanoleuca, which are now considered junior synonyms of Ethmia. If considered separate from Ethmia, the senior synonym Anesychia must be used.
Two subspecies are accepted nowadays: Ethmia pusiella pusiella – western populations, east to Ural Mountains and Asia Minor Ethmia pusiella deletella – eastern populations, Central Asia and Tien Shan
In earlier times, E. candidella and E. fumidella were considered varieties of E. pusiella.
Junior synonyms of E. pusiella are: Ethmia deletella de Lattin, 1963 Ethmia lithospermella (Hübner, 1789) Ethmia scalacella (Kühn, 1777) Phalaena (Tinea) pusiella Linnaeus, 1758 Tinea lithospermella Hübner, 1789 Tinea scalacella Kühn, 1777
Footnotes
References Grabe, Albert (1942): Eigenartige Geschmacksrichtungen bei Kleinschmetterlingsraupen ["Strange tastes among micromoth caterpillars"]. Zeitschrift des Wiener Entomologen-Vereins 27: 105-109 [in German]. PDF fulltext Savela, Markku (2003): Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and some other life forms – Ethmia. Version of 2003-DEC-29. Retrieved 2010-APR-21.