Stigmella rhamnophila
Encyclopedia
Stigmella rhamnophila is a moth
of the Nepticulidae
family. It is found in Italy
, Greece
(including many of the islands), Cyprus
and Israel
.
The larvae feed on Rhamnus alaternus
, Rhamnus lycioides
, Rhamnus lycioides oleoides, Rhamnus palaestina and Rhamnus saxatilis. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a rather long corridor, suddenly turning into an elongated, full depth blotch. The corridor usually follows the leaf margin for a long distance. The frass fills most of the corridor In the first section.
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 in 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...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
(including many of the islands), Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
The larvae feed on Rhamnus alaternus
Rhamnus alaternus
Rhamnus alaternus is a species of flowering plant in the buckthorn family known by the common name of Italian Buckthorn or Mediterranean Buckthorn.-Etymology:...
, Rhamnus lycioides
Rhamnus lycioides
Rhamnus lycioides, black hawthorn, european buckthorn, mediterranean buckthorn, is a species of flowering plant shrub in the Rhamnaceae family, in the Rhamnus genus. It is found in the Mediterranean region, in southern Europe and northern Africa.-Description:Rhamnus lycioides is a slow growth...
, Rhamnus lycioides oleoides, Rhamnus palaestina and Rhamnus saxatilis. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a rather long corridor, suddenly turning into an elongated, full depth blotch. The corridor usually follows the leaf margin for a long distance. The frass fills most of the corridor In the first section.