Stigmella trimaculella
Encyclopedia
Stigmella trimaculella is a moth
of the Nepticulidae
family. It is found in most of Europe, east to the eastern part of Palearctic ecozone.
The wingspan
is 5–6 mm. Adults are on wing in May and again in August.
The larvae feed on Populus alba, Populus angustifolia
, Populus x canadensis, Populus candicans, Populus canescens, Populus deltoides, Populus nigra, Populus simonii, Populus suaveolens, Populus tremula
and Populus trichocarpa
. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a corridor. The first part of the mine is straight and narrow, and often follows a vein. The frass is concentrated in a nearly uninterrupted central line that does not occupy the full width of the gallery . The second part is considerably broader, sometimes almost resembling a blotch. The frass pattern here is very variable, ranging from a narrow central line to a broad band.
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 most of Europe, east to the eastern part of Palearctic ecozone.
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 5–6 mm. Adults are on wing in May and again in August.
The larvae feed on Populus alba, Populus angustifolia
Populus angustifolia
Populus angustifolia is a species of poplar tree known by the common names Narrowleaf Cottonwood and Willow-leaved Poplar. This tree is native to the Great Basin in the United States where it is most often found by streams and creeks at some elevation.The tree is slim in profile, with yellow-green...
, Populus x canadensis, Populus candicans, Populus canescens, Populus deltoides, Populus nigra, Populus simonii, Populus suaveolens, Populus tremula
Populus tremula
Populus tremula, commonly called aspen, common aspen, Eurasian aspen, European aspen, trembling poplar, or quaking aspen, is a species of poplar native to cool temperate regions of Europe and Asia, from the British Isles east to Kamchatka, north to inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia and...
and Populus trichocarpa
Populus trichocarpa
Populus trichocarpa is a deciduous broadleaf tree species native to western North America. It is used for timber, and is notable as a model organism in plant biology. Its full genome sequence was published in 2006...
. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a corridor. The first part of the mine is straight and narrow, and often follows a vein. The frass is concentrated in a nearly uninterrupted central line that does not occupy the full width of the gallery . The second part is considerably broader, sometimes almost resembling a blotch. The frass pattern here is very variable, ranging from a narrow central line to a broad band.