Stigmella muricatella
Encyclopedia
Stigmella muricatella is a moth
of the Nepticulidae
family. It is found in Greece
and Turkey
, east to the eastern part of the Palearctic ecozone and the Near East
.
The larvae feed on Sanguisorba minor muricata. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as a very delicate corridor, but gets broader gradually. The mine follows the leaf margin eventually expanding over a good part of the leaflet. Small leaflets are completely mined out. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.
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 Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
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...
, east to the eastern part of the Palearctic ecozone and the Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
.
The larvae feed on Sanguisorba minor muricata. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as a very delicate corridor, but gets broader gradually. The mine follows the leaf margin eventually expanding over a good part of the leaflet. Small leaflets are completely mined out. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.