Arthropods • Earth.com

Stigmella kao

(Stigmella kao)

Description

Stigmella kao is a moth of the Nepticulidae family. It is only known from Yunnan, China. The wingspan is 6.0–6.7 millimetres (0.24–0.26 in). Larvae have been found in October, adults were reared in November. The larvae feed on Castanopsis orthocantha. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a linear mine along the midrib of the leaf towards the tip, occasionally following a lateral vein, then suddenly turning back and becoming an elongated blotch. The frass almost fills the gallery, in a blotch in two lateral lines. The mine resembles that of some Ectoedemia species, such as Ectoedemia intimella.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:
Class: Insecta
Order:Lepidoptera
Family:Nepticulidae
Genus:Stigmella
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