Stigmella regiella

This record describes Stigmella regiella (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 regiella mine the leaves of Hawthorn. The initial gallery is narrow and is filled with red-brown coiled frass. It then turns abruptly to form a blotch with a thin line of blackish frass, which may be coiled or irregular. The larva is yellow with a pale brown head and has two diagnostic dark spots (the cephalic ganglia). The egg is found on the underside of leaf, close by or on a leaf margin. The leafmines are similar to Ectoedemia atricollis and Stigmella hyberella on Hawthorn 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. Photograph the larva showing the two diagnostic dark spots of the cephalic ganglia. Vacated mines may be unidentifiable. Status in Britain is difficult to determine due to lack of records, but the records we have suggest this species may be widespread, if local in the southern half of Britain at least. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as local. http://www.leafmines.co.uk/html/Lepidoptera/S.regiella.htm https://bladmineerders.nl/parasites/animalia/arthropoda/insecta/lepidoptera/monotrysia/nepticuloidea/nepticulidae/stigmella/stigmella-regiella/ No additional images available for this species.

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 August – November.

Additional species information

Recorded status

Status in Britain is difficult to determine due to lack of records, but the records we have suggest this species may be widespread, if local in the southern half of Britain at least. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as local.

About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group

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