''Bucculatrix nigricomella'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

of the family

Bucculatricidae Bucculatricidae or (Bucculatrigidae) is a family of moths. This small family has representatives in all parts of the world. Some authors place the group as a subfamily of the family Lyonetiidae. Adults of this family are easily overlooked, bei ...

. It was first described in 1839 by

Philipp Christoph Zeller Philipp Christoph Zeller (8 April 1808 – 27 March 1883) was a German entomologist. Zeller was born at Steinheim an der Murr, Württemberg, two miles from Marbach, the birthplace of Schiller. The family moved to Frankfurt (Oder) where Ph ...

. It is found in most of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

(except the

Balkan Peninsula The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

). The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

is 7–8 mm. The head is dark fuscous. Antennal eyecaps whitish, forewings shining greyish-bronzy, pairs of costal and dorsal undefined ochreous whitish spots before middle and at 2/3. Hindwings are rather dark grey. The larva is greenish or yellowish; head pale brown; segment 2. On the Continent ( urope the usual form of the imago is almost unicolorous, the spots being nearly or quite obsolete, but this form does not seem to have occurred in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Adults are on wing from April to May and again in August. There are two generations per year. The

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e feed on ''

Leucanthemum vulgare ''Leucanthemum vulgare'', commonly known as the ox-eye daisy, oxeye daisy, dog daisy, marguerite (, "common marguerite") and other common names, is a widespread flowering plant native to Europe and the temperate regions of Asia, and an introduced ...

''.TRIBERTI, P., & BRAGGIO, S. (2011). Remarks on some families of leaf-mining Microlepidoptera from central-southern Sardinia, with some ecological considerations (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae, Bucculatricidae, Gracillariidae). ''Biodiversity of Marganai and Montimannu (Sardinia). Research in the framework of the ICP forests network.'', 767-781. They mine the leaves of their host plant. Image:Bucculatrix nigricomella plant of Chrysanthemum leucanthemum with mined leaves.JPG, Plant of '' Chrysanthemum leucanthemum'' with mined leaves Image:Bucculatrix nigricomella mining larva.JPG, Mining larva Image:Bucculatrix nigricomella externally feeding larva.JPG, Externally feeding larva

References

External links

*
bladmineerders.nl

UKmoths
Bucculatricidae Leaf miners Moths described in 1839 Moths of Europe Taxa named by Philipp Christoph Zeller {{Gracillarioidea-stub