Trifurcula trilobella
Encyclopedia
Trifurcula trilobella is a moth
of the Nepticulidae
family. It is found in mainland Greece
as well as the Greek Islands.
The wingspan
is 5-5.5 mm.
The larvae feed on Salvia triloba. The mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a very slender, tortuous corridor, hardly widening in the end. It is not particularly associated with the leaf margin or venation. The frass
is deposited in a irregularly interrupted black central line that occupies about one third of the width of the corridor. 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 mainland Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
as well as the Greek Islands.
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 5-5.5 mm.
The larvae feed on Salvia triloba. 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 very slender, tortuous corridor, hardly widening in the end. It is not particularly associated with the leaf margin or venation. 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 irregularly interrupted black central line that occupies about one third of the width of the corridor. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.