Nepticulidae
Guides
Acalyptris
Acalyptris is a genus of minute moths in the family Nepticulidae, established by Meyrick in 1921. It represents the second largest genus of Nepticulidae in the Americas and contains approximately 100 described species distributed across six continents. The genus is characterized by leaf-mining larvae that create distinctive mines in host plant foliage. Species are organized into multiple species groups based on morphology and host associations, with nine revised species groups recognized in the American fauna.
Acalyptris lotella
Acalyptris lotella is a minute moth in the family Nepticulidae, known for its highly specialized larval biology. The species is endemic to California and represents one of the few documented cases of stem-mining behavior in this genus. Its larvae create internal tunnels within the stems of Lotus scoparius, a chaparral shrub. The species was originally described as Microcalyptris lotella in 1987 and later transferred to Acalyptris.
Bohemannia
Bohemannia is a genus of minute moths in the family Nepticulidae, commonly known as microlepidoptera. The genus contains nine described species distributed primarily across Europe and East Asia. These moths are among the smallest lepidopterans, with most species described in the 19th and 20th centuries. Larvae of Nepticulidae are leaf miners, though specific host associations for most Bohemannia species remain poorly documented.
Derostenus
Derostenus is a genus of small parasitoid wasps in the family Eulophidae, first described by Westwood in 1833. The genus contains five recognized species distributed across Asia, Europe, and North America. European and North American species are solitary endoparasitoids of leaf-mining moth larvae in the genus Stigmella (Nepticulidae), while the biology of Asian species remains unknown. Two species groups have been established based on morphological differences: the gemmeus group (European and North American species) and the sulciscuta group (Asian species).
Derostenus freemani
Derostenus freemani is a species of parasitoid wasp in the family Eulophidae, first described from the Nearctic region in 1973. It is a solitary endoparasitoid of Stigmella larvae (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae), minute moths commonly known as pygmy or midget moths. The species was originally placed in the subgenus Nearctostenus, though subsequent revision abandoned this subgeneric division in favor of species-group classification, placing D. freemani in the gemmeus group alongside European species.
Ectoedemia
Ectoedemia is a genus of minute moths in the family Nepticulidae, established by August Busck in 1907. The genus comprises four subgenera: Ectoedemia, Etainia, Fomoria, and Zimmermannia. Species are distributed across multiple continents including Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. The genus is notable for its leaf-mining larval ecology, with many species exhibiting narrow host plant specificity on trees and shrubs.
Nepticulidaemicrolepidopteraleaf-minerbark-minerhost-specificityparthenogenesisE.-argyropezaFagaceaeBetulaceaeQuercusspeciationsympatric-speciationphylogenomicsddRADclonal-diversitygall-inductioncecidian-stagesedentary-dispersalHolarctic-distributionGondwanan-distributionsubgenera:-Ectoedemia,-Etainia,-Fomoria,-ZimmermanniaEctoedemia argyropeza
Virgin Pigmy
A Holarctic microlepidopteran in the family Nepticulidae, characterized by parthenogenetic reproduction with extremely rare males. Adults are active in late spring. Larvae are leaf miners on aspen species, producing distinctive mines that persist on host leaves. The species exhibits clonal population structure with limited dispersal capacity.
Ectoedemia platanella
sycamore leaf blotch miner
Ectoedemia platanella is a minute moth in the family Nepticulidae, commonly known as the sycamore leaf blotch miner. It is restricted to the eastern United States, where its larvae create distinctive blotch mines in leaves of Platanus species. The species is highly host-specific and represents one of many specialized leaf-mining moths in this diverse family.
Ectoedemia populella
Poplar Petiole Gall Moth, Aspen Petiole Gall Moth
A minute North American moth in the family Nepticulidae. Larvae induce distinctive globular galls on the petioles of Populus species. Adults are active in spring following larval overwintering in galls. The species is widely distributed east of the Rocky Mountains.
Ectoedemia quadrinotata
Ectoedemia quadrinotata is a minute moth in the family Nepticulidae, first described by Annette Frances Braun in 1917. It occurs in the eastern United States and Canada, with records from Ohio, Kentucky, Vermont, and the provinces of Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. The species is notable for its larval leaf-mining behavior on specific host plants.
Enteucha basidactyla
Enteucha basidactyla is a minute moth in the family Nepticulidae, one of the smallest families of moths. It occurs in the Neotropical and Nearctic regions, with records from southwestern Florida, Dominica, Belize, and Ecuador. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism in size, with females notably larger than males. It is a leaf-mining specialist on seagrape (Coccoloba uvifera) in Caribbean populations.
Etainia
Etainia is a genus of minute moths in the family Nepticulidae, established by Beirne in 1945. It was formerly treated as a subgenus of Ectoedemia but has been elevated to generic status. The genus contains species distributed across North America and Europe, with larvae that are leafminers and stem borers on woody plants. At least two native North American species are known, including Etainia thoraceleuca, which feeds on Ericaceae.
Etainia ochrefasciella
Hard Maple Budminer Moth
Etainia ochrefasciella is a small moth in the family Nepticulidae, commonly known as the Hard Maple Budminer Moth. The species was originally described as Ectoedemia ochrefasciella by Chambers in 1873 and later transferred to the genus Etainia by Puplesis et al. in 1996. As a member of the Nepticulidae, it is part of a family of minute moths whose larvae typically mine plant tissues.
Etainia thoraceleuca
Etainia thoraceleuca is a North American moth in the family Nepticulidae, described in 2024 as the second native American species in the genus. It is known from light-collected adults across California, Arizona, and Ontario, Canada. The species is a specialist feeder on Ericaceae, with larvae making short leafmines on Arbutus and Arctostaphylos species before continuing development in stems and branches. It is sister to the European species E. albibimaculella.
Fomoria
Fomoria is a genus of minute moths in the family Nepticulidae, established by Beirne in 1945. These moths are part of the diverse microlepidoptera fauna. The genus has been historically treated as a subgenus within Ectoedemia in some classifications. Fomoria species are found in the Northern Hemisphere with records from Europe and North America.
Fomoria pteliaeella
Wafer Ash Leafminer Moth
Fomoria pteliaeella is a minute nepticulid moth native to the eastern United States. Adults are active during summer months with two generations per year. The species is a specialist leafminer, with larvae feeding exclusively on Ptelea trifoliata (wafer ash). Larval mines are initially contorted and indistinct, becoming more visible as they develop.
Glaucolepis
Glaucolepis is a genus of minute moths in the family Nepticulidae, established by Braun in 1917. Species in this genus are leaf miners with specialized host associations, particularly with plants in the genus Bupleurum (Apiaceae). The genus is distributed in southwestern Europe and northern Africa, with some records from North America. DNA barcode analysis suggests monophyletic origins for host plant associations within the genus.
Glaucolepis saccharella
Glaucolepis saccharella is a minute moth in the family Nepticulidae, one of the smallest moth families by body size. The species was originally described as Nepticula saccharella by Braun in 1912 and later transferred to Glaucolepis. It belongs to a genus of leaf-mining moths whose larvae feed internally on plant tissue. The species has been documented in the eastern United States.
Nepticuloidea
Pygmy Leafminer Moths
Nepticuloidea is a superfamily of minute monotrysian Lepidoptera comprising two families: Nepticulidae (pygmy moths) and Opostegidae (white eyecap moths). Members are among the smallest moths worldwide, with wingspans of only a few millimetres. The superfamily is characterized by prominent eyecaps covering the compound eyes. Molecular phylogenetic studies indicate the group originated in the early Cretaceous, approximately 100 million years ago, coinciding with angiosperm diversification.
Stigmella altella
Stigmella altella is a minute leaf-mining moth in the family Nepticulidae, known from Ohio and Maine in the United States. The species has a wingspan of 5.6–6.4 mm. It completes one generation per year in Ohio, with larvae mining oak leaves in autumn and adults emerging the following spring. The larvae are specialized feeders on two oak species: Quercus imbricaria and Quercus palustris.
Stigmella ceanothi
Stigmella ceanothi is a pygmy moth in the family Nepticulidae, first described by Braun in 1910 under the name Nepticula ceanothi. The species is endemic to California, United States, where it develops as a leafminer on host plants in the genus Ceanothus. Like other Stigmella species, the larvae feed internally within leaves, creating characteristic mines. The moth belongs to a large genus of minute leafmining moths that are ecologically significant as specialists on particular host plant genera.
Stigmella intermedia
pygmy leaf-mining moth
Stigmella intermedia is a minute pygmy moth in the family Nepticulidae, characterized by a wingspan of only 3–3.5 mm. The species is known from the Nearctic region, with records from Ohio, Arkansas, Kentucky, Ontario, and Vermont. It is a specialist leafminer whose larvae feed on sumac species (Rhus typhina and Rhus aromatica), creating distinctive linear mines with broad blackish frass lines. The species typically produces two generations per year, with larvae maturing in July and overwintering, though occasionally a third generation occurs.
Stigmella juglandifoliella
Pecan serpentine leafminer
Stigmella juglandifoliella is a microlepidopteran moth in the family Nepticulidae, commonly known as the pecan serpentine leafminer. The species is a specialist herbivore whose larvae create serpentine mines in the leaves of pecan (Carya illinoinensis). It is currently known from a restricted range in the eastern United States.
Stigmella lapponica
Stigmella lapponica is a minute moth in the family Nepticulidae, described by Maximilian Ferdinand Wocke in 1862 from northern Norway. The species is notable for its leaf-mining larvae that feed exclusively on birch leaves, creating distinctive slender galleries. Adults are active in May with a single generation per year, though partial second broods have been suggested. The moth occurs across the Holarctic region, including Europe, Asia, and North America.
Stigmella macrocarpae
Stigmella macrocarpae is a pygmy moth in the family Nepticulidae, named for its association with Quercus macrocarpa (bur oak). The species occurs across eastern and central North America, with populations extending to the Pacific Northwest. Larvae are leaf miners that feed internally on oak leaves, creating distinctive serpentine mines. The species was originally described as Stigmella latifasciella in 1878, but this name was preoccupied by a European species, necessitating the current name established in 2016.
Stigmella microtheriella
Hazel leaf miner moth, Hazel Leafminer Moth
Stigmella microtheriella is a minute leaf-mining moth in the family Nepticulidae, with a wingspan of only 3–4 mm. The species is native to Europe and Asia, and was introduced to New Zealand from Britain between 1850 and 1860, likely via imported hazel trees. Its larvae create distinctive narrow, angular mines in the leaves of hazel (Corylus species) and hornbeams (Carpinus species). Adults are parthenogenetic and fly in May and August.
Stigmella multispicata
Stigmella multispicata is a pygmy moth in the family Nepticulidae, native to East Asia and invasive in eastern North America. It was first described from a single male holotype from Primorye, Russia in 2014, and subsequently identified as an established invasive species in North America through DNA barcoding that matched specimens from Beijing, China with adults found in the United States. The species is a leafminer specializing on Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila), distinguished by morphological features including a white collar, entirely dark antennae, and in females an elongated narrow ovipositor adapted for oviposition in hairy leaf vein axils. It is the only Ulmus-feeding nepticulid in North America with green larvae. First detected in North America around 2010, the species has since spread to ten US states and two Canadian provinces.
Stigmella populetorum
Stigmella populetorum is a minute leaf-mining moth in the family Nepticulidae, with a wingspan of approximately 5 mm. It occurs across North America from Texas and Ohio to California, with additional records in Ontario and British Columbia. The species completes two to three generations annually, with adults active from late June through September and larval activity observed in mid-June and August.
Stigmella resplendensella
Stigmella resplendensella is a minute leaf-mining moth in the family Nepticulidae. It has been recorded from Kentucky in North America. The species has a wingspan of approximately 6 mm. Larvae feed on Celtis occidentalis (common hackberry), creating mines in the leaves.
Stigmella rhamnicola
Stigmella rhamnicola is a pygmy moth in the family Nepticulidae. The species exhibits seasonal dimorphism in wing size, with the winter generation being slightly larger than the summer generation. It produces two to three generations annually, with mines most abundant in October. The species is a leaf miner specialist on Rhamnus lanceolata.
Stigmella sclerostylota
A pygmy moth in the family Nepticulidae, Stigmella sclerostylota is a leaf-mining species known from limited records in North America. The species was described in 1982 and has been documented in Arkansas and Ontario. As with other Stigmella species, the larvae feed internally on leaf tissue, creating distinctive mines.
Stigmella slingerlandella
Slingerland's Plum Leafminer Moth, Plum Leaf Miner
Stigmella slingerlandella is a microlepidopteran moth in the family Nepticulidae, commonly known as the plum leaf miner. The species was described by Kearfott in 1908 and named in honor of Mark Vernon Slingerland. It is a specialist leafminer on Prunus species, with larvae creating distinctive mines that begin as narrow linear tunnels before expanding into irregular blotches. The species occurs in eastern North America, where it can be a minor pest of plum and cherry cultivation.
Stigmella undescribed-species-on-alnus
An undescribed species of pygmy moth in the genus Stigmella, recognized by its association with alder (Alnus) as a host plant. The species has been documented as a leafminer on alder but has not yet received a formal scientific name. As a member of the Nepticulidae, it is part of a diverse family of minute moths whose larvae create distinctive mines in leaves.
Stigmella undescribed-species-on-carya
An undescribed species of pygmy moth in the family Nepticulidae, genus Stigmella, associated with Carya (hickory) as a host plant. The species has not yet received a formal scientific name but is recognized as distinct based on host association and presumably morphological or genetic differentiation from described congeners.
Stigmella undescribed-species-on-mahonia
An undescribed species of pygmy moth in the genus Stigmella (family Nepticulidae) known to occur on Mahonia plants. Like other Stigmella species, it is presumed to be a leaf-mining specialist, though formal description and detailed biological study are pending. The species has been documented sufficiently to recognize its distinctness from described taxa but awaits taxonomic formalization.
Stigmella undescribed-species-on-rhus-aromatica
This is a putative undescribed species in the genus Stigmella, family Nepticulidae, associated with the host plant Rhus aromatica (fragrant sumac). No formal description exists in the scientific literature. The species has been proposed based on host association with this sumac species, but remains unconfirmed pending taxonomic study.
Zimmermannia
Zimmermannia is a genus of minute moths in the family Nepticulidae, established by Hering in 1940. The genus is distributed in the Western Palaearctic region and contains nine recognized species. Species are characterized by leaf-mining and bark-mining larval habits. The genus was historically treated as a subgenus of Ectoedemia but is now recognized as distinct.
Zimmermannia bosquella
American Chestnut Moth
Zimmermannia bosquella is a moth of the family Nepticulidae found in the eastern United States. It was formerly known as Nepticula bosquella and is now classified as conspecific with the American chestnut moth, which was once considered extinct. The species is associated with American chestnut.
Zimmermannia mesoloba
Zimmermannia mesoloba is a species of minute moth in the family Nepticulidae, originally described by Davis in 1978 as Ectoedemia mesoloba and later transferred to Zimmermannia. Nepticulidae are among the smallest Lepidoptera, commonly known as pygmy moths or midget moths. Species in this genus are leaf miners, with larvae feeding inside leaf tissue.