Stigmella zelleriella (Snellen, 1875)

sandhill pigmy

mine

Egg invariably at the leaf underside. From there runs a short gallery, often partly following the leaf margin, almost stuffed with frass. The corridor widens into a blotch that may occupy half a leaf; the frass here is dispersed. Pupation external. Vacated mines turn black.

host plants

Salicaceae, narrowly monophagous

Salix, lapponum, repens & subsp. rosmarinifolia.

Van Nieukerken ao (2004) suppose that the species in South-Russia lives on Salix triandra.

phenology

Larvae in about the first half of July and the first half of October.

BENELUX

BE recorded (Phegea, 2009).

NE recorded (Kuchlein & de Vos, 1999a; Microlepidoptera.nl, 2009).

LUX not recorded (Fauna Europaea, 2009).

distribution within Europe

From Fennoscandia and North-Russia to the Alps, and from Ireland to Central Russia (Fauna Europaea, 2009).

larva

Yellow.

synonyms

Nepticula zelleriella; Stigmella repentiella (Wolff, 1955); Stigmella lappovimella Svensson (1976).

The synonymy of lappovimella is rejected by Bruun & Itämies (1997a), but maintained by van Nieukerken (in Fauna Europaea, 2010) and van Nieukerken ao (2012a).

notes

The autumn mines can be confused with those of Rhampus pulicarius. The easiest difference is the totally different aspect of the larvae, that never missing from the mine.

The mine often cannot be distinguished from the one of St. benanderella. The two species partly overlap, both in host plants and in distribution. Mines with the egg at the upper surface belong with certainty to benanderella.

references

Bengtsson (2008a), Bruun & Itämies (1997a), Buszko (1987a), Diškus & Stonis (2012a), Gielis, Huisman, Kuchlein ao (1985a), Gustafsson (1985a), Gustafsson & van Nieukerken (1990a), Hering (1957a), Johansson ao (1990a), Kuchlein & Donner (1993a), Kuchlein & de Vos (1999a), Kuchlein, Gielis, Huisman, ao (1988a), Laštuvka & Laštuvka (1997a), Navickaitė, Diškus & Stonis (2011a), van Nieukerken (1983a, 1986a), van Nieukerken, Mutanen & Doorenweerd (2012a), van Nieukerken, Zolotuhin & Mistchenko (2004a), Schütze (1931a), Skala (1939a), Sønderup (1949a), Svensson (1976a), Szőcs (1977a), Yefremova & Kravchenko (2015a).