Stigmella crataegella

This record describes Stigmella crataegella (species). Recorded family: Nepticulidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.

Identification and Appearance

Stigmella crataegella - Stigmella crataegella

Wingspan 4 to 5 mm. The adults are narrow-winged with bronzy forewings which have a broad silvery fascia, and are purplish-tinged outside this. The mine Hawthorn leaves, creating a gallery which begins narrowly with black linear frass. The mine then widens, and the frass is laid in distinct arcs, finally becoming irregular and central near the end. The larva is bright green with a greenish head. The leaf mines on Hawthorn are very similar to Stigmella oxyacanthella , but occur earlier in the year Check the appearance of the larva and the timing of fresh tenanted mines; S oxyacanthella is later in the year. Old vacated mines cannot be determined. It has a single generation. The adults are on the wing in May and June. The larvae mine the leaves of Hawthorn (Crataegus), creating a gallery which begins narrowly with linear frass. The mine then widens, and the frass is laid in distinct arcs, finally becoming irregular and central near the end. Larvae feed from June till August. A common species throughout the British Isles. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nepticulidae
Genus: Stigmella

Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.

Habitat and Range

Habitat

Areas where Hawthorn is present.

Seasonal Activity

It has a single generation. The adults are on the wing in May and June.

Diet and Behavior

Life History

The larvae mine the leaves of Hawthorn (Crataegus), creating a gallery which begins narrowly with linear frass. The mine then widens, and the frass is laid in distinct arcs, finally becoming irregular and central near the end. Larvae feed from June till August.

Additional species information

Recorded status

A common species throughout the British Isles. 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 Stigmella crataegella. 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.

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