Stigmella paradoxa

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

Identification and Appearance

Many Stigmella species are almost impossible to identify as adults, but are easier to record from the leafmines created by their larvae. The larvae of Stigmella paradoxa mine the leaves of Hawthorn. A blotch mine is formed on the on leaf-lobe with central frass. The egg is found on the underside of leaf at the tip of a lobe (it is important to note this as part of your record). Records of leafmine should include a backlit image of the mine showing the frass pattern as well as a picture of the leaf. The record should also include a note of the host plant on which the leafmine was found. Leafmine records for this species must also indicate the egg position. Status in Britain is difficult to determine due to lack of records, but the records we have suggest this species may be widespread, (but possibly scarce) in England and Wales at least. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as Nationally Scarce B. http://www.leafmines.co.uk/html/Lepidoptera/S.paradoxa.htm https://bladmineerders.nl/parasites/animalia/arthropoda/insecta/lepidoptera/monotrysia/nepticuloidea/nepticulidae/stigmella/stigmella-paradoxa/

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

Where Hawthorn is present.

Seasonal Activity

Leafmine: June - early July.

Diet and Behavior

Life History

Status in Britain is difficult to determine due to lack of records, but the records we have suggest this species may be widespread, (but possibly scarce) in England and Wales at least. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as Nationally Scarce B.

Additional species information

Recorded status

Rarely recorded in Leicestershire and Rutland.

About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group

Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Stigmella paradoxa. 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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