Stigmella mespilicola

Checklist Number
04.031 [B&F: 0099a]

Verification
Record requires retention of specimen until confirmed, and may require dissection. Consult with CMR if unsure

Classification

Family:Nepticulidae
Subfamily:Nepticulinae
Genus:Stigmella
Species:mespilicola
Authority:(Frey, 1856)

Vulnerable (proposed as a future Red Data Book species) in woodland in northern Ireland, south-western Scotland and on the Isle of Man. Unlikely to be recorded in Hampshire or on the Isle of Wight. Adults difficult to distinguish from other Stigmella species, and more frequently recorded in the larval stage, when mines are relatively easy to find where they are present. Larva mines leaves of Whitebeam, Wild Service-tree and Cotoneaster, over-wintering as a pupa.