Stigmella plagicolella

Stigmella plagicolella is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found in all of Europe (except Iceland and Norway) and the Near East.

Stigmella plagicolella mine in Prunus spinosa Craig Tremeirchion, North Wales

Stigmella plagicolella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Nepticulidae
Genus:
Stigmella
Species:
S. plagicolella
Binomial name
Stigmella plagicolella
(Stainton, 1854)
Synonyms
  • Nepticula plagicolella Stainton, 1854

The wingspan is 4–5 mm. The thick erect hairs on the head vertex are orange and the collar dark bronze fuscous-white. Antennal eyecaps are whitish. Forewings are shining deep purplish-bronze ; a shining whitish fascia beyond middle ; apical area beyond this dark purple-fuscous Hindwings are grey.[1]

Adults are on wing from May to June and again in August.

The larvae feed on Malus domestica, Prunus armeniaca, Prunus avium, Prunus cerasifera, Prunus cerasifera var. pissardii, Prunus domestica, Prunus domestica insititia, Prunus mahaleb, Prunus mume, Prunus spinosa, Prunus subcordata and Prunus triloba. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The first part of the mine consists of a slender corridor with a wide uninterrupted frass line. After a moult this corridor abruptly widens into a blotch. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.

References
  1. Meyrick, E., 1895 A Handbook of British Lepidoptera MacMillan, London


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