Ectoedemia minimella
Encyclopedia
Ectoedemia minimella is a moth
of the Nepticulidae
family. It is found from Scandinavia
and northern Russia
to the Pyrenees
and Italy
, and from Ireland
to Slovakia
.
The wingspan
is 5.1-6.6 mm. Adults are on wing from May to June. There is one generation per year.
The larvae feed on Betula nana, Betula pendula, Betula pubescens and Betula pubescens carpatica. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a short tortuous corridor, that widens into a blotch, often between two lateral veins. The frass is dispersed. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.
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 Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
and northern 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...
to the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 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 Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
.
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 5.1-6.6 mm. Adults are on wing from May to June. There is one generation per year.
The larvae feed on Betula nana, Betula pendula, Betula pubescens and Betula pubescens carpatica. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a short tortuous corridor, that widens into a blotch, often between two lateral veins. The frass is dispersed. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.