Stigmella malella

The banded apple pigmy (Stigmella malella) is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found almost all of Europe, except Iceland and Norway.[1]

Stigmella malella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Nepticulidae
Genus:
Stigmella
Species:
S. malella
Binomial name
Stigmella malella
(Stainton, 1854)
Synonyms
  • Nepticula malella Stainton, 1854
  • Nepticula angustella Heinemann & Wocke, 1877
  • Nepticula nigrobrunella Groschke, 1939

The wingspan is 4–6 millimetres (0.16–0.24 in).The head is ferruginous -ochreous, collar whitish. Antennal eyecaps whitish. Forewings dark fuscous ; a shining white fascia beyond middle. Hindwings grey.[2] Adults are on wing from April to August.

The larvae feed on Malus x astracanica, Malus baccata, Malus domestica, Malus floribunda, Malus fusca, Malus ringo, Malus sylvestris and sometimes Prunus. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a corridor, sometimes widening only a little but sometimes strongly. At times ending in a secondary blotch. The frass is concentrated in a narrow central line.[3]

References
  1. "Stigmella malella (Stainton, 1854)". 2.6.2. Fauna Europaea. August 29, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  2. Meyrick, E., 1895 A Handbook of British Lepidoptera MacMillan, London
  3. "Stigmella malella (Stainton, 1854)". Bladmineerders.nl. Retrieved March 26, 2010.


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