Stigmella lapponica
Encyclopedia
Stigmella lapponica is a moth
of the Nepticulidae
family. It is found in most of Europe
(except the Balkan Peninsula and the Mediterranean Islands
), east to the eastern part of the Palearctic ecozone.
The wingspan
is 5–7 mm. Adults are on wing in May. There is one generation per year.
The larvae feed on Betula humilis, Betula nana, Betula pendula and Betula pubescens (including Betula pubescens carpatica). They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a slender corridor that hardly widens. The first part is filled with frass. The mine mostly follows a vein over a long distance, but the larva is capable of crossing thick veins, even the midrib.
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 most of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(except the Balkan Peninsula and the Mediterranean Islands
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
), east to the eastern part of the Palearctic ecozone.
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 5–7 mm. Adults are on wing in May. There is one generation per year.
The larvae feed on Betula humilis, Betula nana, Betula pendula and Betula pubescens (including Betula pubescens carpatica). They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a slender corridor that hardly widens. The first part is filled with frass. The mine mostly follows a vein over a long distance, but the larva is capable of crossing thick veins, even the midrib.