The banded apple pigmy (Stigmella malella) is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found in almost all of Europe, except Iceland and Norway.
The wingspan is .The head is ferruginous-ochreous, the collar whitish. The antennal eyecaps are whitish, and the forewings dark fuscous with a shining white fascia beyond the middle. The hindwings are grey.Meyrick, E., 1895 A Handbook of British Lepidoptera MacMillan, London lepiforum.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
Adults are on wing from April to August.
The larvae feed on Malus x astracanica, Malus baccata, Malus domestica, Malus floribunda, Malus fusca, Malus ringo, Malus sylvestris and sometimes Prunus. They mine the leaves of their host plant.
References
External links Swedish moths Species info Stigmella malella images at Consortium for the Barcode of Life lepiforum.de