Trifurcula anthyllidella
Encyclopedia
Trifurcula anthyllidella is a moth
of the Nepticulidae
family. It is found in Spain
, on Mallorca
and along the South and East coast from Cadiz
to Girona
on limestone, up into the mountains.
The wingspan
is 5.6–7.4 mm for males and 5.6–7.1 mm for females.
The larvae feed on Anthyllis cytisoides
and Anthyllis terniflora. The mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a narrow, upper-surface corridor with a black, often interrupted frass
line. After a moult this turns into a blotch that may cross the midrib. The frass is deposited in black lumps in the basal section of the mine. Small leaves are entirely mined out, and become unrecognisable. 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 in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, on Mallorca
Mallorca
Majorca or Mallorca is an island located in the Mediterranean Sea, one of the Balearic Islands.The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Cabrera Archipelago is administratively grouped with Majorca...
and along the South and East coast from Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
to Girona
Girona
Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...
on limestone, up into the mountains.
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 5.6–7.4 mm for males and 5.6–7.1 mm for females.
The larvae feed on Anthyllis cytisoides
Anthyllis cytisoides
Anthyllis cytisoides is a summer-deciduous shrub of Southern Europe, common in the Balearic Islands and the southeastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It prefers semi-arid limestone soils in areas free of frost the year round.-External links:* *...
and Anthyllis terniflora. The 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, upper-surface corridor with a black, often interrupted 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...
line. After a moult this turns into a blotch that may cross the midrib. The frass is deposited in black lumps in the basal section of the mine. Small leaves are entirely mined out, and become unrecognisable. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.