Parornix anglicella is a moth of the family Gracillariidae found in Asia and Europe. It was described in 1850, by the English entomologist Henry Tibbats Stainton, from a specimen from Lewisham, Kent.
The wingspan is 9–11 mm. The head is ochreous-whitish mixed with fuscous. Palpi white, apex of second joint and median band of terminal dark fuscous. Forewings are dark fuscous, irrorated with whitish; numerous costal strigulae, a spot in middle of disc and another posteriorly, and suffused dorsal strigidae interrupted by two blackish spots white; a black apical dot; cilia with three entire dark fuscous lines. Hindwings are grey. The larva is pale greenish-grey; dorsal line darker; spots pale; head pale greenish-brown; segment 2 with four black spots.[1] Adults are on the wing in two generations in April and May and again in August.[2]
It is widespread in: Europe including Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Britain, Bulgaria, Croatia, Corsica, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Portuguese mainland, Romania, central and northern Russia, Sardinia, Serbia, Sicily, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, Ukraine. Outside Europe it is recorded from the Near East and Nearctic realm.
The genus Paronix comes from para, meaning alongside and ornix named after the genus Ornix Treitschke, 1833, which refers to ornis, a bird. The genus Ornix originally included a wide range of feathery-winged microlepidoptera in the Coleophoridae and the Gracillariidae. Ornix was an early synonym of the genus Coleophora as a number of moths were name after birds. The feathery-winged moths were later restricted to Paronix. The specific name anglicella refers to Anglicus i.e. English; the type locality is from England.[5]