Parafomoria helianthemella
Encyclopedia
Parafomoria helianthemella is a moth
of the Nepticulidae
family. It is found in central and southern Europe, including Germany
, south-eastern Poland
, the Czech Republic
, Slovakia
, Hungary
, Austria
, Switzerland
, northern Italy
, France
(the Alps and Pyrenees) and Bulgaria
.
The length of the forewings is 1.7-2 mm for males and 1.6-2.2 mm for females. Adults are on wing from March to April (occasionally May), in July and from August to September. There are three generations per year in Hungary.
The larvae feed on Helianthemum canum
, Helianthemum nummularium
, Helianthemum oelandicum alpestre
and Helianthemum oelandicum incanum
and Helianthemum salicifolium. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a narrow corridor, often following the leaf margin or a vein. The frass
is deposited in a relatively thick central line, continuous at first, dispersed towards the end.
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 central and southern Europe, including 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...
, south-eastern 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...
, the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, northern Italy
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...
(the Alps and Pyrenees) and Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
.
The length of the forewings is 1.7-2 mm for males and 1.6-2.2 mm for females. Adults are on wing from March to April (occasionally May), in July and from August to September. There are three generations per year in Hungary.
The larvae feed on Helianthemum canum
Helianthemum canum
Helianthemum canum, commonly called Hoary rockrose, is a low growing plant confined to rocky dry calcareous areas especially close to the sea.The plant typically has a central stock from which numerous branches radiate horizontally or ascending...
, Helianthemum nummularium
Helianthemum nummularium
Helianthemum nummularium is a species of rockrose , native to most of Europe.-Description:It is an evergreen trailing plant with loose terminal clusters of bright yellow, saucer-shaped flowers...
, Helianthemum oelandicum alpestre
Helianthemum oelandicum
Helianthemum oelandicum is a flowering plant of the genus Helianthemum in the family Cistaceae.It is the province flower of Öland....
and Helianthemum oelandicum incanum
Helianthemum oelandicum
Helianthemum oelandicum is a flowering plant of the genus Helianthemum in the family Cistaceae.It is the province flower of Öland....
and Helianthemum salicifolium. 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 narrow corridor, often following the leaf margin or a vein. 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 relatively thick central line, continuous at first, dispersed towards the end.