Phalaena sarcitrella Linnaeus, 1758
Tinea sarcitrella (Linnaeus, 1758)
Endrosis sarcitrella (Linnaeus, 1758)
Phalaena sarcitella Linnaeus, 1761 (unjustified emendation)
Tinea lactella Denis et Schiffermueller, 1775
Tinea betulina Huebner, 1819
Gelechia subditella Walker, 1864
Endrosis lactella antarctica Staudinger, 1898



The name "sarcitrella" is commonly used for this species, but this is problematic for two reasons:
(1) The presumed type specimen still present in the Linnaean collection does not belong to the species currently named Endrosis sarcitrella: Robinson and Schmidt Nielsen (1983) have examined the specimen and write: "We consider the specimen in the Linnaean collection to be mislabelled; it neither matches Linnaeus´s description nor accords with our current concept of sarcitrella". They conclude that the specimen is actually a male of Haplotinea insectella (a species of Tineidae).
(2) It is possible that the specimen is not the original type and has been erroneously placed in the Linnaean collection later by someone else. However, there is a second problem with the identity of "Phalaena sarcitrella": also the original description of Phalaena sarcitrella does not agree with the species currently named "Endrosis carcitrella". The original description (Linnaeus 1758) reads: "Tinea alis cinereis, thorace utrinque [sic!] puncto albo" (translation: "a Tinea with gray wings, and the thorax with a white spot on each side"). This description does not agree with Haplotinea insectella (thus supporting the idea that the specimen in the collection is not the original specimen used by Linnaeus himself), but it also does not agree with Endrosis sarcitrella as currently understood. I provisionally retain the name, but suggest that a neotype designation would be neccessary in this case to unequivocally fix the name "Phalaena sarcitrella" with the present species. Alternatively, a younger and not preoccupied synonym should be used as the valid name for the species.

Note: Phalaena fenestrella Scopoli, 1763 is by some authors incorrectly listed as a synonym of the present species. Scopoli (1763) used the name "Phalaena fenestrella" twice in his book. Once on page 217, where the name is used for the species currently called Thyris fenestrella. Second, on page 252, where the name is used for a species of small moth with white forewings patterned with black markings and dots ("Alae anticae albidae; maculis punctisque nigris"). Thus, this description clearly shows that this second "Phalaena fenestrella" is not identical with the present species and is not a synonym of it. The description fits better to the species of the genus Nemapogon, especially Nemapogon granella and Nemapogon variatella. It is usually considered as a synonym of the former (see also there).