Ectoedemia liguricella
Encyclopedia
Ectoedemia liguricella is a moth
of the Nepticulidae
family. It is found in the western part of the Mediterranean region, were it is known from the Italian Riviera
, France
, Spain
and Morocco
. It occurs from sea-level to high elevations in the mountains
The wingspan
is 7.6–9 mm. Adults have been caught from May to September.
It is thought that, unlike most other Nepticulidae
species, the larvae mine the bark of their host, rather than the leaves. The hostplant is unknown, but they might feed on Quercus species, since it has often been collected amongst those trees. In one of the localities near Marbella, barkmines on Quercus coccifera were recorded, which could belong to this species.
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 Nepticulidae
Nepticulidae
Nepticulidae is a family of very small moths with a worldwide distribution. They are characterised by eyecaps over the eyes . These pigmy moths or midget moths, as they are commonly known, include the smallest of all living moths, with a wingspan that can be as little as 3 mm...
family. It is found in the western part of the Mediterranean region, were it is known from the Italian Riviera
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. It occurs from sea-level to high elevations in the mountains
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 7.6–9 mm. Adults have been caught from May to September.
It is thought that, unlike most other Nepticulidae
Nepticulidae
Nepticulidae is a family of very small moths with a worldwide distribution. They are characterised by eyecaps over the eyes . These pigmy moths or midget moths, as they are commonly known, include the smallest of all living moths, with a wingspan that can be as little as 3 mm...
species, the larvae mine the bark of their host, rather than the leaves. The hostplant is unknown, but they might feed on Quercus species, since it has often been collected amongst those trees. In one of the localities near Marbella, barkmines on Quercus coccifera were recorded, which could belong to this species.