Mompha terminella
| Mompha terminella | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Momphidae |
| Genus: | Mompha |
| Species: | M. terminella |
| Binomial name | |
| Mompha terminella (Humphreys & Westwood, 1845) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Mompha terminella is a moth in the Momphidae family. It is found from Fennoscandia to the Iberian Peninsula and from Ireland to Romania.[1] It is also found in North America.[2][3]
The wingspan is 8–10 mm.[4] Adults are on wing from July to August in one generation per year.[5]
The larvae feed on Circaea alpina and Circaea lutetiana. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as a long, narrow, full depth, strongly spiral corridor. The frass is initially deposited in fine grains, but later in a central line. The larva leaves the mine to start elsewhere, either as a continuation of the existing corridor or in a new leaf. This new mine starts as a narrow corridor but soon widens into a large blotch. The frass is deposited in a broad band. Pupation takes place outside of the mine. Larvae can be found from mid-August to mid-September. They are whitish with a light brown head.[6]