Stigmella plagicolella
Encyclopedia
Stigmella plagicolella is a moth
of the Nepticulidae
family. It is found in all of Europe
(except the Iceland
and Norway
) and the Near East
.
The wingspan
is 4–5 mm. Adults are on wing from May to June and again in August.
The larvae feed on Malus domestica, Prunus armeniaca, Prunus avium
, Prunus cerasifera, Prunus cerasifera var. pissardii, Prunus domestica
, Prunus domestica insititia, Prunus mahaleb
, Prunus mume, Prunus spinosa
, Prunus subcordata
and Prunus triloba
. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The first part of the mine consists of a slender corridor with a wide uninterrupted frass line. After a moult this corridor abruptly widens into a blotch. 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 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 the 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...
) 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 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 June and again in August.
The larvae feed on Malus domestica, Prunus armeniaca, Prunus avium
Prunus avium
Prunus avium, commonly called wild cherry, sweet cherry, bird cherry, or gean, is a species of cherry, native to Europe, west Turkey, northwest Africa, and western Asia, from the British Isles south to Morocco and Tunisia, north to the Trondheimsfjord region in Norway and east to the Caucasus, and...
, Prunus cerasifera, Prunus cerasifera var. pissardii, Prunus domestica
Prunus domestica
Prunus domestica is a Prunus species with many varieties. These are often called "plums" in common English, though not all plums belong to this species. Its hybrid parentage is believed to be Prunus spinosa and Prunus cerasifera var. divaricata...
, Prunus domestica insititia, Prunus mahaleb
Prunus mahaleb
Prunus mahaleb is a species of cherry native to central and southern Europe, western and central Asia, and northwest Africa, from Morocco north to France, southern Belgium, and Germany, and east to northern Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan.It is a deciduous tree or large...
, Prunus mume, Prunus spinosa
Prunus spinosa
Prunus spinosa is a species of Prunus native to Europe, western Asia, and locally in northwest Africa. It is also locally naturalised in New Zealand and eastern North America....
, Prunus subcordata
Prunus subcordata
Prunus subcordata, known by the common names Klamath plum, Oregon plum, and Sierra plum, is a member of the genus Prunus , native to the west coast of the Western United States in California and western and southern Oregon...
and Prunus triloba
Prunus triloba
Prunus triloba sometimes called "flowering almond" is a shrubby cherry, sometimes becoming a small tree. The flowers are pale pink or white, and the fruit are red and "pubescent", i.e. with soft hair. It originates from China....
. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The first part of the mine consists of a slender corridor with a wide uninterrupted frass line. After a moult this corridor abruptly widens into a blotch. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.