Trifurcula bupleurella
Encyclopedia
Trifurcula bupleurella is a moth
of the Nepticulidae
family. It is found in southern France
and the Iberian Peninsula
.
The larvae feed on Bupleurum fruticosum and Bupleurum rigidum. The mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of an upper-surface, whitish corridor. It is narrow at first, but considerably widening later. The frass
is deposited in a thin black central line. Some mines are contorted and confined to a limited space, other follow a vein and are quite long.
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 southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and 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 larvae feed on Bupleurum fruticosum and Bupleurum rigidum. 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 an upper-surface, whitish corridor. It is narrow at first, but considerably widening later. 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 deposited in a thin black central line. Some mines are contorted and confined to a limited space, other follow a vein and are quite long.