Stigmella lucida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stigmella lucida |
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| Scientific classification | |
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Nepticulidae
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| Genus: |
Stigmella
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| Species: |
S. lucida
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| Stigmella lucida (Philpott, 1919)
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Stigmella lucida is a tiny moth that belongs to a family called Nepticulidae. It's special because it's only found in New Zealand. This means it's endemic there, living nowhere else in the world!
Contents
Meet the Stigmella lucida Moth
This small moth is about 3 mm long when you measure its front wings. That's about the size of a small ant! Adult moths have been seen flying around in January, and then again from September to December. They usually have one or two groups of babies (generations) each year.
Life Cycle of the Stigmella lucida
What the Larvae Eat
The baby moths, called larvae, love to eat the leaves of the silver beech tree (Nothofagus menziesii). They are special because they are "leaf miners." This means they live inside the leaves and eat tunnels through them!
The larva starts its tunnel, or "mine," near the middle vein of the leaf, close to the stem. At first, it only eats the bottom part of the leaf. But as the tunnel gets wider, it starts eating through both the top and bottom layers of the leaf. The larva leaves its waste, called frass, in the middle of the tunnel. As it grows, the frass fills up the whole space.
You can find these larvae munching on leaves from May to August, and also in October and November. They are about 3 mm long and are a pale green color.
Making a Cocoon
When a larva is ready to change into an adult moth, it builds a special home called a cocoon. This cocoon is made from silk that is white to light brown. The larva usually builds its cocoon among the leaves and branches of the same silver beech tree it was eating.
