Stigmella xystodes
Encyclopedia
Stigmella xystodes is a moth
of the Nepticulidae
family. It is found from the Oriental region to the Near East
, North Africa
and the Canary Islands
.
The wingspan
is 4.9–6.6 mm for males and 5–5.5 mm for females. Adults are on wing from July to August in the orient.
The larvae feed on Cyperus rotundus
and probably Cyperus conglomeratus. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts either from the apex or middle of the leaf. The larva mines down for some length and then takes a turn and mines up, the second portion being exactly parallel to the first. The frass
is deposited in a line in the center all along the mine. Pupation takes place in a flat, golden-yellow oval cocoon. The larva is yellow and transparent with a brown head.
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 from the Oriental region to the Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
, North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
.
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 4.9–6.6 mm for males and 5–5.5 mm for females. Adults are on wing from July to August in the orient.
The larvae feed on Cyperus rotundus
Cyperus rotundus
Cyperus rotundus is a species of sedge native to Africa, southern and central Europe , and southern Asia. The word cyperus derives from the Greek "κύπερος" and rotundus is from Latin, meaning "round"...
and probably Cyperus conglomeratus. They 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 starts either from the apex or middle of the leaf. The larva mines down for some length and then takes a turn and mines up, the second portion being exactly parallel to the first. 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 line in the center all along the mine. Pupation takes place in a flat, golden-yellow oval cocoon. The larva is yellow and transparent with a brown head.