Nepticulidae, Ectoedemia populella

[Nieukerken, E.J. van]

As far as I know there is no generally accepted common name for Nepticulidae
in English. One could call them pygmy moths, minute leafminer moths, or
simply nepticulid moths.

Ectoedemia (Ectoedemia) populella Busck, 1907 is the type species of the
genus Ectoedemia Busck, 1907 (note the spelling!).
Strange enough it has the most aberrant life history in the genus: most
species are leafminers 9as throughout the family), but populella is the only
one (at least in this subgenus) which is a gall-former. The name Ectoedemia
is derived form this habit: Greek ektos=outside, oidema: a swelling, in
short a gall.

E. populella occurs in the eastern USA and Canada, see Wilkinson & Scoble
(1979) and Wilkinson & Newton (1981) for revisions of North-American
species. It makes galls in the petiole of various Populus species, in the
fall.

E. populella also gives its name to a group of species all feeding on
Populus or Salix. In contrast to populella, the other species start feeding
in the petiole (or midrib in the case of Salix), which only swells slightly
and finally in the leaf, where they make a large leafmine. They feed in the
fall (now!) and can often been found in dropped leaves, where you recognize
the presence of a mine by a green island in the leaf. 
The larvae overwinter in the soil in a cocoon and pupate in spring, the
moths emerge some weeks later. Rearing is simple.

The american species are:
populella
canutus
argyropeza (introduced from Europe, a parthenogenetic species)

all feed on populus

In Europe on Populus:
argyropeza
turbidella
hannoverella
klimeschi

and on Salix:
intimella

other species occur in Asia

See also the papers listed below.

Busck, A. (1907). "New american Tineina." Proceedings of the Entomological
Society of Washington 8: 86-99.
	
Nieukerken, E. J. v. (1985). "A taxonomic revision of the western
Palaearctic species of the subgenera Zimmermannia Hering and Ectoedemia
Busck s. str. (Lepidoptera, Nepticulidae), with notes on their phylogeny."
-Tijdschrift voor Entomologie 128(1): 1-164.
	
Nieukerken, E. J. v. (1986). "Systematics and phylogeny of Holarctic genera
of Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera, Heteroneura: Monotrysia)." - Zoologische
Verhandelingen 236: 1-93.
	
Nieukerken, E. J. v. and R. Johansson (1990). Tribus Trifurculini. - In: The
Nepticulidae and Opostegidae (Lepidoptera) of NW Europe. by R. Johansson, E.
S. Nielsen, E. J. v. Nieukerken and B. Gustafsson. Fauna Entomologica
Scandinavica 23: 239-321.

Puplesis, R., 1994. The Nepticulidae of eastern Europe and Asia. Western,
central and eastern parts. - Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, 290 pp.
	
Wilkinson, C. and P. J. Newton (1981). "The micro-lepidopteran genus
Ectoedemia Busck (Nepticulidae) in North America." - Tijdschrift voor
Entomologie 124(2): 27-92.
	
Wilkinson, C. and M. J. Scoble (1979). "The Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera) of
Canada." Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Canada 107: 1-129.
	
yours sincerely,

Erik J. van Nieukerken

curator of Entomology (Microlepidoptera + Arachnida et al.)/ 
editor Tijdschrift voor Entomologie

National Museum of Natural History Naturalis
dep. of Entomology
PO Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands

direct phone: +31-71-56 87 682 (secretary ..622)
fax:      +31-71-5687666
e-mail:  nieukerken at nnm.nl

> -----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
> Van:	garrytrust at aol.com [SMTP:garrytrust at aol.com]
> Verzonden:	woensdag 27 oktober 1999 15:24
> Aan:	leps-l at lists.yale.edu
> Onderwerp:	Nepticulidae
> 
> What is the common name of this family and can you till me more about
> Ectodemia
> populella ?