Stigmella montanotropica
Encyclopedia
Stigmella montanotropica is a moth
of the Nepticulidae
family. It is found in tropical montane forest on the western slopes on the Andes in Ecuador
.
The wingspan
is 5-5.1 mm for females. Adults have been found from February to early March.
The larvae feed on Acalypha
species. The mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a very long, slender, sinuous to contorted gallery mostly located on the upperside of the leaf. In the first half, the dark brown or blackish frass
can fill the entire width of the gallery. Later, the frass is deposited in arcuate waves with or without leaving narrow clear margins. The final stage of the mine is the longest. Here, the frass is deposited in a broad trace of black granulated frass.
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 tropical montane forest on the western slopes on the Andes in Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
.
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 5-5.1 mm for females. Adults have been found from February to early March.
The larvae feed on Acalypha
Acalypha
Acalypha is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae. It is the sole genus of the subtribe Acalyphinae. With 450 to 500 species of herbs and shrubs, the genus is only behind Euphorbia, Croton and Phyllanthus in term of Malpighiales diversity...
species. 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 long, slender, sinuous to contorted gallery mostly located on the upperside of the leaf. In the first half, the dark brown or blackish 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...
can fill the entire width of the gallery. Later, the frass is deposited in arcuate waves with or without leaving narrow clear margins. The final stage of the mine is the longest. Here, the frass is deposited in a broad trace of black granulated frass.