Stigmella malella
Encyclopedia
The Banded Apple Pigmy (Stigmella malella) is a moth
of the Nepticulidae
family. It is found almost all of Europe
, except Iceland
and Norway
.
The wingspan
is 4–6 mm. Adults are on wing from April to August.
The larvae feed on Malus x astracanica, Malus baccata
, Malus domestica, Malus floribunda
, Malus fusca
, Malus ringo, Malus sylvestris
and sometimes Prunus
. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a corriodor, sometimes widening only a little but sometimes strongly. At times ending in a secondary blotch. The frass is concentrated in a narrow central line.
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 almost all 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 Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
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 4–6 mm. Adults are on wing from April to August.
The larvae feed on Malus x astracanica, Malus baccata
Malus baccata
Malus baccata is a species of apple known by the common names Siberian crabapple, Siberian crab, Manchurian crab apple and Chinese crab apple. It is native to most of Asia, but is also grown elsewhere as an ornamental tree and for rootstock. It is used for bonsai in Japan...
, Malus domestica, Malus floribunda
Malus floribunda
Malus floribunda, or Japanese flowering crabapple, originates from Japan and East Asia. It may be a wild species, or a hybrid of M. sieboldii x M. baccata....
, Malus fusca
Malus fusca
Malus fusca is a species of crabapple. It is native to western North America from Alaska to California, where it grows in coniferous forests. The fruits are small round apple-shaped pomes....
, Malus ringo, Malus sylvestris
Malus sylvestris
Malus sylvestris, the European wild apple, is a species of Malus , native to Europe from as far south as Spain, Italy and Greece to as far north as Scandinavia and Russia. Its scientific name means "forest apple", and the truly wild tree has thorns.In the past, M. sylvestris was thought to be an...
and sometimes Prunus
Prunus
Prunus is a genus of trees and shrubs, which includes the plums, cherries, peaches, apricots and almonds. There are around 430 species spread throughout the northern temperate regions of the globe. Many members of the genus are widely cultivated for fruit and ornament.-Botany:Members of the genus...
. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a corriodor, sometimes widening only a little but sometimes strongly. At times ending in a secondary blotch. The frass is concentrated in a narrow central line.