Stigmella thuringiaca, Nepticula nickerli, Stigmella, Nepticula
Diagnosis. Similar to S. sanguisorbae; see that species.
Male. Wingspan: 4.4-4.6 mm. Head: frontal tuft pale ochreous to dark brown; scape and collar yellowish white; antenna slightly longer than half length of forewing. Forewing: pale olive brown to grey-brown, without purple tinge; terminal cilia concolorous or slightly paler than distal part. Hindwing: pale grey. Abdomen: grey-brown, with small pale brown anal tufts. Female. Wingspan: 4.0-4.4 mm. Antenna slightly less than or equal to half forewing length. Abdomen without anal tuft. Otherwise similar to male. Male genitalia. Vinculum with anterior margin variably emarginate. Uncus with a pair of triangular lobes at a right to obtuse angle to each other. Gnathos with transverse bar of variable length, long horns and heavy anterior processes. Valva starts gradually tapering from about one-third distance from base into arcuate distal process; inner lobe narrow. Transtilla with long transverse bar and rather short sublateral processes. Aedeagus approximately as long as genital capsule; vesica with many slender cornuti in two groups of unequal size; many minute pectinations. Female genitalia. Bursa copulatrix half length of abdomen. Corpus bursae long, anterior half rounded; anterior half completely covered with pectinations; signum with slightly heavier pectinations on a slightly sunk medial band over anterior half from ventral to dorsal side. Accessory sac small, with distinct reticulate field. Abdominal tip narrow and pointed; apophyses slender; posteriores distinctly longer than anteriores; both pairs straight.
Host plants: Potentilla spp., Sanguisorba minor, Fragaria spp., Agrimonia spp. and Filipendula spp. Egg: on underside, near mid rib. Larva: bright yellow. Mine : a gradually broadening gallery mine usually following a rib or the leaf margin; frass in a central line occupying at least one-third of the width mine. Cocoon: pale yellowish brown.
Not in Denmark and Fennoscandia. - Occurs in eastern, central and southern Europe; the northwestern-most locality seems to be the type-locality at Nordhausen in East Germany.
Voltinism: two generations per year.
Description based on Johansson and Nielsen (1990)