Ectoedemia minimella

Ectoedemia minimella is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found from Scandinavia and northern Russia to the Pyrenees and Italy, and from Ireland to Slovakia.

Ectoedemia minimella
Ectoedemia minimella, Trawscoed, North Wales
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Nepticulidae
Genus:
Ectoedemia
Species:
E. minimella
Binomial name
Ectoedemia minimella
(Zetterstedt, 1839)
Synonyms
  • Trifurcula minimella Zetterstedt, 1839
  • Nepticula viridicola Weber, 1937
  • Nepticula woolhopiella Stainton, 1887
  • Nepticula mediofasciella (auct.)

The wingspan is 5.1-6.6 mm. The head of males is blackish or dark fuscous, in females it is ferruginous to yellowish. Antennal eyecaps white. The forewings are blackish, purplish-tinged and there is a somewhat shining rather oblique anteriorly subconcave whitish fascia hardly beyond the middle and sometimes interrupted. Hindwings grey.[1] Adults are on wing from May to June. There is one generation per year.

Ectoedemia minimella mine Tir Stent, North Wales

The pale greenish 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.

References
  1. Meyrick, E., 1895 A Handbook of British Lepidoptera MacMillan, London pdf This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Keys and description


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