Bohemannia pulverosella
Encyclopedia
Bohemannia pulverosella is a moth
of the Nepticulidae
family. It is found from Fennoscandia
to the Iberian Peninsula
, the Alps
, Slovenia
and Bulgaria
and from Ireland
to central Russia
and Ukraine
.
The wingspan
is 6-7 mm.
The larvae feed on Malus domestica, Malus x purpurea and Malus sylvestris
. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a narrow, strongly contorted corridor. The corridor abruptly widens into an elongate blotch, that often runs over the initial corridor. The frass
is brown and almost fills the initial corridor. In the blotch, the frass is concentrated in the first section. Pupation takes place outside of the mine. The larva cuts an exit hole on the underside of the leaf, which distuingishes the mine from that of Ectoedemia atricollis
.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Nepticulidae
Nepticulidae
Nepticulidae is a family of very small moths with a worldwide distribution. They are characterised by eyecaps over the eyes . These pigmy moths or midget moths, as they are commonly known, include the smallest of all living moths, with a wingspan that can be as little as 3 mm...
family. It is found from Fennoscandia
Fennoscandia
Fennoscandia and Fenno-Scandinavia are geographic and geological terms used to describe the Scandinavian Peninsula, the Kola Peninsula, Karelia and Finland...
to the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
, the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
and Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
to central Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 6-7 mm.
The larvae feed on Malus domestica, Malus x purpurea and Malus sylvestris
Malus sylvestris
Malus sylvestris, the European wild apple, is a species of Malus , native to Europe from as far south as Spain, Italy and Greece to as far north as Scandinavia and Russia. Its scientific name means "forest apple", and the truly wild tree has thorns.In the past, M. sylvestris was thought to be an...
. They mine
Leaf miner
Leaf miner is a term used to describe the larvae of many different species of insect which live in and eat the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths , sawflies and flies , though some beetles and wasps also exhibit this behavior.Like Woodboring beetles, leaf...
the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a narrow, strongly contorted corridor. The corridor abruptly widens into an elongate blotch, that often runs over the initial corridor. The frass
Frass
Frass is the fine powdery material phytophagous insects pass as waste after digesting plant parts. It causes plants to excrete chitinase due to high chitin levels, it is a natural bloom stimulant, and has high nutrient levels. Frass is known to have abundant amoeba, beneficial bacteria, and fungi...
is brown and almost fills the initial corridor. In the blotch, the frass is concentrated in the first section. Pupation takes place outside of the mine. The larva cuts an exit hole on the underside of the leaf, which distuingishes the mine from that of Ectoedemia atricollis
Ectoedemia atricollis
Ectoedemia atricollis is a moth of the Nepticulidae family. It is found from Scandinavia to the Pyrenees, Italy, and Romania and from Ireland to Ukraine and the Volga and Ural regions of Russia. It has also been recorded from Tajikistan, where it is probably an introduced species.The wingspan is...
.