Stigmella thuringiaca
Encyclopedia
Stigmella thuringiaca is a moth
of the Nepticulidae
family. It is found from Germany
, Poland
and central Russia
to the Iberian Peninsula
and Italy
. It is not found on the Balkan Peninsula.
The larvae feed on Agrimonia eupatoria
, Filipendula
, Fragaria moschata, Fragaria vesca, Fragaria viridis
, Potentilla tabernaemontani and Sanguisorba minor. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a gradually widening, relatively broad corridor, generally following a thick vein or the margin. The frass is irregularly scattered, occupying at least one third of the width of the corridor.
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 Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, 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 central Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
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...
and 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...
. It is not found on the Balkan Peninsula.
The larvae feed on Agrimonia eupatoria
Agrimonia eupatoria
Agrimonia eupatoria is a species of agrimony that is often referred to as common agrimony, church steeples or sticklewort....
, Filipendula
Filipendula
Filipendula is a genus of 12 species of perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the family Rosaceae, native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Well-known species include Meadowsweet and Dropwort , both native to Europe, and Queen-of-the-forest and Queen-of-the-prairie...
, Fragaria moschata, Fragaria vesca, Fragaria viridis
Fragaria viridis
Fragaria viridis is a species of strawberry native to Europe and central Asia. It has extremely small berries with fine flavour. They have surprisingly little of the usual strawberry aroma, but a refreshing acidity, and sometimes ripen without becoming red...
, Potentilla tabernaemontani and Sanguisorba minor. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a gradually widening, relatively broad corridor, generally following a thick vein or the margin. The frass is irregularly scattered, occupying at least one third of the width of the corridor.