4.03 BF99

Stigmella hybnerella

(Hübner, 1796)

[Synonyms: ignobilella]

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Wingspan 4-5 mm.

A small, narrow-winged species with a strong metallic lustre. The inner part of the forewing is slightly greenish-bronze; there is a silvery fascia and the outer part is tinged reddish-purple. The head is black in the male, between orange and black in the female.

The larvae mine the leaves of hawthorn, forming a blotch with irregular black frass. The first generation is quite early, feeding in May and June. The second feeds from late July to September.

The adults are on the wing in April and May and July and August, and the species is well distributed and common throughout the British Isles.