Stigmella alnetella is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found in all of Europe, except the Balkan Peninsula.
The wingspan is 3.9-4.8 mm. The head is orange, the collar deep bronze-fuscous. The antennal eyecaps are white. The forewings are golden brown, becoming lighter golden towards the dorsum anteriorly. A bright shining silvery fascia beyond middle is preceded by a dark purplish-fuscous suffusion, the apical area beyond this is dark purplish fuscous. The hindwings are grey.Meyrick, E., 1895 A Handbook of British Lepidoptera MacMillan, London pdf Keys and descriptionlepiforum.de includes imagesEmmet, A. M., 1976. Nepticulidae. — In: J. Heath (ed.). The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland 1: 171—267, pls. 1—7, 11, 12.Zagulajev, A.K., 1987 Nepticulidae (Stigmellidae); in G.S. Medvedev (ed.): Keys to the insects of the europaean part of the USSR, Vol.IV: Lepidoptera, part 1 (english translation), Oxonian Press Pvt.Ltd., New Dehli, 1987
The larvae feed on Alnus cordata and Alnus glutinosa. They mine the leaves of their host plant. There is usually only one mine in a leaf. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.
References
External links bladmineerders.nl Swedish Moths Fauna Europaea Stigmella alnetella images at Consortium for the Barcode of Life