Pigmy moths (Lepidoptera, Nepticulidae) from the Middle Volga Basin

Fifty-seven species of the family Nepticulidae were found in the Middle Volga Basin. The family includes four genera: Bohemannia Stainton, 1859 (1 species), Ectoedemia Busck, 1907 (15), Stigmella Schrank, 1802 (38), and Trifurcula Zeller, 1848 (3 species). The mines made by pigmy moth larvae are very specific in the study area. Larvae of the largest genus, Stigmella, make typical serpentine leaf mines. Larvae of the genera Bohemannia and Ectoedemia make blotchy mines; some larvae develop in fruits and tree bark. Most species of the genera Bohemannia, Ectoedemia, and Stigmella were recorded by their mines. At the larval stage, representatives of Trifurcula feed on stems of legumes. The pupae develop in the soil. Most species in the family Nepticulidae are leaf miners, mainly associated with Rosaceae (34.7%), Salicaceae (15.8%), Fagaceae (12.3%), and Betulaceae (12.3%). All the species investigated do not act as pests of forage plants in the area studied.