Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Nepticulidae Scientific name Stigmella catharticella | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Stigmella Rank Species | |
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Similar Stigmella alnetella, Stigmella betulicola, Stigmella splendidissimella, Stigmella confusella, Stigmella incognitella | ||
Stigmella catharticella is a moth of the Nepticulidae family. It is found in from Fennoscandia to the Pyrenees, Italy and Bulgaria, and from Ireland to Russia.
The wingspan is 5–6 mm. Adults are on wing from May to June and again from July to September.
The larvae feed on Rhamnus catharticus. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a full depth corridor, beginning at an under-surface egg shell. The corridor makes several sharp turns, so much so that the loops almost touch. The last section of the corridor is significantly wider. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.
References
Stigmella catharticella Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA