Stigmella crataegella
Encyclopedia
Stigmella crataegella is a moth
of the Nepticulidae
family. It is found from Fennoscandia
to the Iberian Peninsula
, Italy
and Macedonia
, and from Ireland
to Poland
and Romania
.
The wingspan
is 4–5 mm. Adults are on wing from May to early June. There is one generation per year.
The larvae feed on Crataegus laciniata, Crataegus laevigata, Crataegus monogyna, Crataegus pentagyna
, Crataegus rivularis
and Crataegus spathulata
. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a corridor. In the first part of the corridor, the frass is concentrated in a central line, later it is clearly coiled. The corridor makes several hairpin turns, usually resulting in a secondary 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 from Fennoscandia
Fennoscandia
Fennoscandia and Fenno-Scandinavia are geographic and geological terms used to describe the Scandinavian Peninsula, the Kola Peninsula, Karelia and Finland...
to 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...
, 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...
and Macedonia
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
, and from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
to 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...
and 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...
.
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 4–5 mm. Adults are on wing from May to early June. There is one generation per year.
The larvae feed on Crataegus laciniata, Crataegus laevigata, Crataegus monogyna, Crataegus pentagyna
Crataegus pentagyna
Crataegus pentagyna, also called small-flowered black hawthorn, is a species of hawthorn native to southeastern Europe. Two subspecies are recognized, C. p. subsp. pentagyna and C. p. subsp. pseudomelanocarpa. The fruit are usually black, but are sometimes a handsome purple.-References and external...
, Crataegus rivularis
Crataegus rivularis
Crataegus rivularis is a species of hawthorn known by the common name river hawthorn. It is native to the intermontane region of the northwestern U.S., situated between the coastal ranges and the Rocky Mountains....
and Crataegus spathulata
Crataegus spathulata
Crataegus spathulata is a species hawthorn known by the common name littlehip hawthorn. It is native to the southeastern US. It has very attractive small delicate leaves with a bluish appearance, pretty flowers and small orange to red fruit....
. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a corridor. In the first part of the corridor, the frass is concentrated in a central line, later it is clearly coiled. The corridor makes several hairpin turns, usually resulting in a secondary blotch.