Bug FAQStigmella rhamnicola
Stigmella rhamnicola · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nepticulidae
Stigmella rhamnicola is a very small moth with a wingspan of about 4 to 5 mm, depending on the season. It lives in Ohio, United States, where its larvae mine the leaves of the shrub Rhamnus lanceolata. The species produces two to three generations each year, and leaf mines are most abundant in October.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Stigmella rhamnicola belongs to the moth family Nepticulidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The summer generation has a wingspan of roughly 4.2 to 5 mm, while the winter generation is slightly larger at 4.4 to 5.6 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
This moth is found in Ohio, United States.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on the leaves of Rhamnus lanceolata, creating leaf mines.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Leaf mines are most abundant in October.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 18 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Alabama, Mississippi.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the larvae of Stigmella rhamnicola eat?
The larvae mine the leaves of the shrub Rhamnus lanceolata.
Source: Wikipedia
When are the leaf mines of Stigmella rhamnicola most common?
Mines are most abundant in October, though they can also be found in early July.
Source: Wikipedia
How many generations does Stigmella rhamnicola have each year?
The species produces two to three generations annually.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Nepticulidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stigmella_rhamnicola
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.