''Stigmella variella'' is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...

of the family Nepticulidae. It is found in the United States in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

and

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

. The

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

is 5.5-7.5 mm. There are two to three generations per year in California. Completed mines can be found from July to early September and February to April. The larvae feed on ''

Quercus agrifolia ''Quercus agrifolia'', the California live oak, or coast live oak, is a highly variable, often evergreen oak tree, a type of live oak, native to the California Floristic Province. It may be shrubby, depending on age and growing location, but is ...

'', '' Quercus wislizeni'' and '' Quercus kelloggii''. They mine the leaves of their host plant.

External links

Nepticulidae of North AmericaA taxonomic revision of the North American species of Stigmella (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae)
Nepticulidae Moths of North America Fauna of the California chaparral and woodlands Moths described in 1910 {{Stigmella-stub