Ectoedemia mahalebella

Description

Ectoedemia mahalebella is a moth of the Nepticulidae family. It is found from the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the Pyrenees, Italy and Greece. The wingspan is 4.3-5.3 mm. Adults are on wing from May to June. There is one generation per year. The larvae feed on Prunus avium, Prunus cerasifera, Prunus cerasus, Prunus cocomilia, Prunus domestica, Prunus fruticosa, Prunus mahaleb, Prunus spinosa and Prunus tenella. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a narrow corridor, filled with reddish frass. Normally, the corridor is strongly contorted, unless it follows the leaf margin. The corridor widens into a small, round blotch. In the blotch, the frass is blackish and concentrated in the centre.