Stigmella ulmivora

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

Identification and Appearance

Wingspan about 5 mm. Black head and bright coppery red forewing glossed with purple. Silver fascia. The larva mines the leaves of Elm; the frass is linear in early part of mine, coiled later. The larva is green. Exit hole is underside. Adult Leafmine (exit hole must be underside of leaf, or green larva) When recording the leafmine please state host species, and include a note to say whether the exit hole was on the underside of the leaf. Larva mines leaves of Elm, overwintering as a pupa. Local throughout much of England, as far north as Durham. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as local. http://www.leafmines.co.uk/html/Lepidoptera/S.ulmivora.htm https://bladmineerders.nl/parasites/animalia/arthropoda/insecta/lepidoptera/monotrysia/nepticuloidea/nepticulidae/stigmella/stigmella-ulmivora/

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 Elm is present.

Seasonal Activity

May to early June.

Diet and Behavior

Life History

Larva mines leaves of Elm, overwintering as a pupa.

Additional species information

Recorded status

Local throughout much of England, as far north as Durham. 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 ulmivora. 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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