Bucculatrix cristatella
Encyclopedia
Bucculatrix cristatella is a moth
of the Bucculatricidae
family. It is found in most of Europe
(except the Iberian Peninsula
and the Balkan Peninsula).
The wingspan
is about 7 mm. Adults are on wing from May to June and again from July to August. There are two generations per year.
The larvae feed on Achillea millefolium, Anthemis tinctoria
, Chrysanthemum
species and Leucanthemopsis alpina. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a very fine corridor along the leaf margin, mainly in the lower leaves. The frass
is deposited in a narrow central line. The larva might abandon the mine and restart elsewhere. Older larvae live free, and feed by slicing open the margin of a leaf segment near its tip and eating away tissue, resulting in a number of full depth blotch mines. Last instar larvae feed freely on the leaf.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Bucculatricidae
Bucculatricidae
Bucculatricidae or is a family of moths. This small family has representatives in all parts of the world. Some authors place the group as a subfamily of the family Lyonetiidae....
family. It is found in most of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(except the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
and the Balkan Peninsula).
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is about 7 mm. Adults are on wing from May to June and again from July to August. There are two generations per year.
The larvae feed on Achillea millefolium, Anthemis tinctoria
Anthemis tinctoria
Cota tinctoria, or Golden Marguerite and Yellow Chamomile, is a species in the genus Anthemis of the Sunflower family ....
, Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemums, often called mums or chrysanths, are of the genus constituting approximately 30 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Asteraceae which is native to Asia and northeastern Europe.-Etymology:...
species and Leucanthemopsis alpina. They mine
Leaf miner
Leaf miner is a term used to describe the larvae of many different species of insect which live in and eat the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths , sawflies and flies , though some beetles and wasps also exhibit this behavior.Like Woodboring beetles, leaf...
the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a very fine corridor along the leaf margin, mainly in the lower leaves. The frass
Frass
Frass is the fine powdery material phytophagous insects pass as waste after digesting plant parts. It causes plants to excrete chitinase due to high chitin levels, it is a natural bloom stimulant, and has high nutrient levels. Frass is known to have abundant amoeba, beneficial bacteria, and fungi...
is deposited in a narrow central line. The larva might abandon the mine and restart elsewhere. Older larvae live free, and feed by slicing open the margin of a leaf segment near its tip and eating away tissue, resulting in a number of full depth blotch mines. Last instar larvae feed freely on the leaf.