Sciophila fractinervis

The larvae of Sciophila fractinervis are brown in colour and have a glossy appearance, due to being enclosed in a mucus tube created from labial glands around the mouth.^[2]

The adults have a dark grey head with a yellowish face, a yellowish thorax, brown abdomen and yellow legs.^[1][3] The mouthparts are black.^[1] The wings of the male measure 2.5 - 2.7mm and the wings of the female are 2.9 - 3.2mm.^[3][4] Females of the species have shorter antennae than males.^[1]

Edwards observed that the macrotrichia (hairs or bristles) on the wings of S. fractinervis are less dense, and therefore more conspicuous than on the comparable species Sciophila ciliata.^[1]

Sciophila fractinervis larvae build silky cocoons of webbing either on the basal leaves of their host plant or on the soil underneath.^[3] The larvae eat fungus spores which grow upon the webbing to sustain themselves, mainly from saprophytic species of fungus that feed on decaying plant matter.^[2] The webbing built by the larvae likely also provides a protective environment against predators as larvae have been observed retreating when the webbing is suddenly vibrated.^[2] The leaves of the host plant do not appear to be damaged by the larval activity, at least in cultivated plant examples^[2][3] but the webbing is considered unsightly by commercial plant growers.^[2] The larvae take about 7-10 days to pupate and emerge as adults.^[3][2]