Stigmella ulmariae

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Diagnostic description: 

Diagnosis.  Similar to S. poterii and S. filipendulae; ulmariae is  often slightly larger than filipendulae, fascia broader and more weakly defined  than in filipendulae.  The male genitalia of ulmariae, S. poterii and  S. filipendulae all have a large apical cornutus and fine proximal spines;  ulmariae differs from poterii in its shorter aedeagus and from filipendulae  in its more numerous fine spines in aedeagus.  The female genitalia of  ulmariae, S. dryadella, S. poterii and S. filipendulae probably not  reliably separable.

Morphology: 

Male. Wingspan: 4.0-5.0 mm.  Head: frontal tuft ochreous;  vertex brown; collar dark bronzy brown; scape pale yellow; antenna three-  quarters length of forewing, dark grey.  Thorax dark bronzy brown.  Forewing:  area proximal to fascia bronzy brown; fascia postmedial, relatively broad,  pale golden; distal to fascia bronzy brown, slightly darker than proximal half;  terminal cilia dark grey-brown.  Hindwing and cilia pale grey, markedly  darker around termen.  Abdomen dark grey to black. Female.   Wingspan: 4.0-5.0 mm. Male genitalia.  Vinculum with anterior margin distinctly  emarginate.  Uncus small, with distinct deep medial U-shaped notch and  distinct paramedial notches.  Valva with rounded inner lobe with protuberances,  distal process strong, pointed.  Transtilla with distinct, broad and blunt  sublateral processes.  Juxta absent.  Aedeagus shorter than genital capsule;  near tip a large cornutus with broad base, proximal part with at least  100 needlelike spines. Female genitalia. Corpus bursae small, without pectinations.  Vestibulum moderate, bilobed.  Accessory sac at least as large as corpus  bursae.  Ductus spermathecae without spines.  Apophyses short.  Ovipositor  not protruding.  

Associations: 

Host plants:  Filipendula ulmaria.  Egg: on upperside of  leaf, usually close to a vein.  Larva: dark yellow.  Mine :  first half of mine narrow, usually along a vein; second half gradually  widening, frass line occupying two-thirds width of mine.  Cocoon brownish.

Distribution: 

Denmark: F, LFM and NEZ.  In Sweden up to Vstm.  Norway: Ns.  Widely distributed in Finland. - S. England, Poland, The Netherlands and C.  Europe.

Life cycle: 

Voltinism:  in Sweden probably univoltine, mines found late September to early  October, bivoltine in more southern localities. 


Citation: 

Description based on Johansson and Nielsen (1990)

Notes on description: 
S. filipendulae and S. ulmariae are here tentatively treated as separate species. Small differences in the number of small spines in aedeagus, size and colour of the moths, and differences in their biology (a common summer generation in filipendulae whereas ulmariae is probably univoltine in Sweden) indicate their separate specific status. This, however, remains to be more convincingly demonstrated by electrophoretic studies and/or crossing experiments.
Taxonomic name: 
Stigmella ulmariae (Nepticuloidea)
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith