Stephensia abbreviatella
Encyclopedia
Stephensia abbreviatella is a moth
of the Elachistidae
family. It is found in France
, Germany
, Poland
, the Czech Republic
, Slovakia
, Austria
, Romania
and Turkey
.
The wingspan
is 9-11 mm.
The larvae feed on Myosotis sylvatica
. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts in a low leaf and has the form of a short, lower-surface corridor that quickly widens into a full depth, transparent blotch. Some silk is deposited in the mine. Before hibernation, the larvae make a new mine, consisting of a fairly broad corridor along the midrib, lined with silk. After overwintering, the larvae make several new mines. Pupation takes place outside of the mine, in the soil. Larvae can be found from September to May of the following year.
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 Elachistidae
Elachistidae
| image = Elachista rufocinerea 2.jpg| image_width = 240px| image_caption = Adult Elachista rufocinerea,demonstrating its tiny size versus an aphid and a spider mite | regnum = Animalia| phylum = Arthropoda| classis = Insecta...
family. It is found in 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...
, 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...
, 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...
, 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...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
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 9-11 mm.
The larvae feed on Myosotis sylvatica
Myosotis sylvatica
Myosotis sylvatica is a herbaceous perennial plant of the genus Myosotis.Myosotis sylvatica is a compact bushy plant with lance-shaped foliage and tiny delicate blue flowers in May and June. It grows in rich, moist soil in part shade to shade. It is appropriate for woodland gardens, groundcover,...
. 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 starts in a low leaf and has the form of a short, lower-surface corridor that quickly widens into a full depth, transparent blotch. Some silk is deposited in the mine. Before hibernation, the larvae make a new mine, consisting of a fairly broad corridor along the midrib, lined with silk. After overwintering, the larvae make several new mines. Pupation takes place outside of the mine, in the soil. Larvae can be found from September to May of the following year.