Stigmella altella
Encyclopedia
Stigmella altella is a moth
of the Nepticulidae
family. It is found in Ohio
and Maine
.
The wingspan
is 5.6-6.4 mm. There is one generation per year in Ohio, with mines being collected in October and adults emerging the following May and early June.
The larvae feed on Quercus imbricaria and Quercus palustris. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine is much contorted, linear and located on the lower surface of the leaf. It barely visible from the upper side. The frass
is scattered across the entire width 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 Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
.
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 5.6-6.4 mm. There is one generation per year in Ohio, with mines being collected in October and adults emerging the following May and early June.
The larvae feed on Quercus imbricaria and Quercus palustris. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine is much contorted, linear and located on the lower surface of the leaf. It barely visible from the upper side. 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 scattered across the entire width of the mine.