Stigmella fulva

Stigmella fulva is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found in New Zealand.

Stigmella fulva
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Nepticulidae
Genus:
Stigmella
Species:
S. fulva
Binomial name
Stigmella fulva
(Watt, 1921)
Synonyms
  • Nepticula fulva Watt, 1921

The length of the forewings is 4–5 mm. Adults have been recorded from January to March and from August to December. Reared specimens emerged in May and July. There are apparently continuous generations throughout the year.

The larvae feed on Olearia species, such as Olearia arborescens, Olearia ilicifolia, Olearia nitida and Olearia macrodonta.[1] It is most common on Olearia arborescens. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as a very narrow gallery in the lower surface of the leaf, but soon expands into a blotch. The small starting point is often included in the blotch and only recognisable by purple discolouration in the leaf around egg site. The mines often difficult to see, owing to the position in the lower mesophyll layer of the leaf. Larva have been recorded in all months except January, February and June. They are 4–5 mm long and pale yellow.

The cocoon is brown and spun in the ground.

References
  1. "PlantSynz - Invertebrate herbivore biodiversity assessment tool: Database". plant-synz.landcareresearch.co.nz. Retrieved 2018-07-12.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.