Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Nepticulidae Scientific name Stigmella progonopis | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Stigmella Rank Species | |
Stigmella progonopis is a moth of the Nepticulidae family. It is found in New Zealand.
The length of the forewings is about 3 mm. Adults have been recorded in January and February. There is one generation per year.
The larvae feed on Dracophyllum traversii, Dracophyllum longifolium, Dracophyllum menziesii and Gaultheria crassa. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a long, linear gallery originating near the leaf-base. When the larva reaches the apex of the leaf it crosses a leaf rib and eats its way back towards the egg site. Each mine is visible as a brown streak and often there are several mines on one leaf. Larva have been recorded from April to August. They are 3–4 mm and pale yellow.
The cocoon consists of brown silk and is spun between the tightly packed petioles of older leaves on the shoot.