Ectoedemia spinosella
Encyclopedia
Ectoedemia spinosella is a moth
of the Nepticulidae
family. It is found in southern Europe, reaching in the North to the southern part of Great Britain
, the Netherlands
, central Germany
and Poland
. It has also been recorded from the Crimea
, the Caucasus
and the European Part of the former Soviet Union
. It is common in western Turkmenistan
.
The wingspan
is 3.2-4.9 mm for males and 3.4–5 mm for females. Adults are on wing in August and October.
The larvae feed on Prunus cerasifera, Prunus domestica
, Prunus dulcis, Prunus fruticosa
, Prunus spinosa
and Prunus webbii. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a narrow, contorted gallery, almost completely filled with reddish frass, later becoming less contorted with the frass leaving clear margins. Finally the corridor widens into a rather small elongate blotch.
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 southern Europe, reaching in the North to the southern part of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, central Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It has also been recorded from the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
and the European Part of the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. It is common in western Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
.
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 3.2-4.9 mm for males and 3.4–5 mm for females. Adults are on wing in August and October.
The larvae feed on Prunus cerasifera, Prunus domestica
Prunus domestica
Prunus domestica is a Prunus species with many varieties. These are often called "plums" in common English, though not all plums belong to this species. Its hybrid parentage is believed to be Prunus spinosa and Prunus cerasifera var. divaricata...
, Prunus dulcis, Prunus fruticosa
Prunus fruticosa
Prunus fruticosa, the European dwarf cherry, or Dwarf cherry, Mongolian cherry or Steppe cherry is a deciduous, xerophytic, winter-hardy, cherry-bearing shrub...
, Prunus spinosa
Prunus spinosa
Prunus spinosa is a species of Prunus native to Europe, western Asia, and locally in northwest Africa. It is also locally naturalised in New Zealand and eastern North America....
and Prunus webbii. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a narrow, contorted gallery, almost completely filled with reddish frass, later becoming less contorted with the frass leaving clear margins. Finally the corridor widens into a rather small elongate blotch.