Stigmella tiliae
Encyclopedia
Stigmella tiliae is a moth
of the Nepticulidae
family. It is found in all of Europe
, except the Balkan Peninsula and the Mediterranean Islands.
The wingspan
is 4,2–5 mm. Adults are on wing from May to June and from July to August. There are two generations per year.
The larvae feed on Tilia alba, Tilia americana
, Tilia cordata
, Tilia x euchlora, Tilia platyphyllos
, Tilia tomentosa
, Tilia x vulgaris. They mine the leaves of their host. The mine consists of a gradually widening 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 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 Balkan Peninsula and the Mediterranean Islands.
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 4,2–5 mm. Adults are on wing from May to June and from July to August. There are two generations per year.
The larvae feed on Tilia alba, Tilia americana
Tilia americana
Tilia americana is a species of Tilia native to eastern North America, from southeast Manitoba east to New Brunswick, southwest to northeast Texas, and southeast to South Carolina, and west along the Niobrara River to Cherry County, Nebraska...
, Tilia cordata
Tilia cordata
Tilia cordata is a species of Tilia native to much of Europe and western Asia, north to southern Great Britain , central Scandinavia, east to central Russia, and south to central Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Turkey, and the Caucasus; in the south of its range it is restricted to...
, Tilia x euchlora, Tilia platyphyllos
Tilia platyphyllos
Tilia platyphyllos is a deciduous tree native to much of Europe, including locally in southwestern Great Britain, growing on lime-rich soils. The common name Large-leaved Linden is in standard use throughout the English-speaking world except in Britain, where it has largely been replaced by the...
, Tilia tomentosa
Tilia tomentosa
Tilia tomentosa is a species of Tilia native to southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia, from Hungary and the Balkans east to western Turkey, occurring at moderate altitudes....
, Tilia x vulgaris. They mine the leaves of their host. The mine consists of a gradually widening corridor.