Stigmella
Guides
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.
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 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 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 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 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-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.