Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Nepticulidae Scientific name Trifurcula cryptella | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Trifurcula Rank Species | |
Similar Stigmella poterii, Stigmella incognitella, Stigmella ruficapitella, Stigmella alnetella, Stigmella splendidissimella | ||
Trifurcula cryptella is a moth of the Nepticulidae family. It is widespread throughout Europe, northwards to southern parts of Norway and Sweden (but not in Finland), eastwards to Poland and the Balkan Peninsula, and south to the Mediterranean countries, but there it is rare and confined to mountainous regions. In Italy it has only been recorded from the northern part, in Portugal in the Serra da Estrêla, in Spain in the Cantabrian Mountains and possibly the Sierra Nevada. It is absent from the Mediterranean islands.
The wingspan is 4-4.6 mm.
The larvae feed on Anthyllis montana, Coronilla coronata, Coronilla emerus, Coronilla emerus emeroides, Coronilla varia, Hippocrepis comosa, Lotus corniculatus, Lotus hispidus, Lotus pedunculatus and Lotus uliginosus. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a long corridor with a very broad, green frass line. This corridor suddenly widens into a broad blotch that in the end may occupy almost an entire leaflet. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.