Ectoedemia albifasciella
This record describes Ectoedemia albifasciella (species). Recorded family: Nepticulidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Wingspan 5 to 6 mm. The adults have coarsely scaled dark brownish wings with a broken creamy fascia, usually as two blotches. The larval foodplant is oak, and the mine begins with a narrow gallery following the midrib or a vein, and then becoming a rectangular blotch with frass gathered towards one end. The larva has a pale brown head. The adult moths are on the wing in June, with mines appearing in August and September. Distributed throughout England and Wales and into the southern half of Scotland, it is more localised in the north, but can be common elsewhere. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common. http://www.leafmines.co.uk/html/Lepidoptera/E.albifasciella.htm https://bladmineerders.nl/parasites/animalia/arthropoda/insecta/lepidoptera/monotrysia/nepticuloidea/nepticulidae/ectoedemia/ectoedemia-albifasciella/
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera
- Family
- Nepticulidae
- Genus
- Ectoedemia
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Habitat
Areas where oak is plentiful.
Seasonal Activity
The adult moths are on the wing in June, with mines appearing in August and September.
Additional species information
Recorded status
Distributed throughout England and Wales and into the southern half of Scotland, it is more localised in the north, but can be common elsewhere. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Ectoedemia albifasciella. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
Lepidoptera includes approximately 180,000 described species of butterflies and moths. Moths outnumber butterflies roughly 10:1. The monarch butterfly's eastern population has declined by more than 80% since the mid-1990s, and the western population by over 95% since the 1980s. The IUCN lists the migratory monarch as Vulnerable.
Ecological role of the group
Butterflies and moths are essential indicators of ecosystem health. As caterpillars, they are a primary food source for birds - a single nest of blue tit chicks requires ~10,000 caterpillars. Adult moths pollinate many night-blooming plants.
Economic and practical significance of the group
Lepidoptera are critical pollinators. In Europe, grassland butterfly species have declined by almost 50% since the early 1990s. In the UK, three-quarters of butterflies are in decline. In the U.S., five butterfly species have gone extinct since 1950, with 29 listed as endangered.
Recorded sources for this group: IUCN Red List, Xerces Society, USFWS, PNAS, WWF. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ectoedemia albifasciella
What is Ectoedemia albifasciella?
Ectoedemia albifasciella is a species in the family Nepticulidae, within the order Lepidoptera.
Where is Ectoedemia albifasciella found?
Habitat: Areas where oak is plentiful.
When is Ectoedemia albifasciella active?
Ectoedemia albifasciella: seasonal activity - The adult moths are on the wing in June, with mines appearing in August and September..