Stigmella alaternella ( Le Marchand, 1937 )

van Nieukerken, Erik J., Laštůvka, Aleš & Laštůvka, Zdenĕk, 2006, The Nepticulidae and Opostegidae of mainland France and Corsica: an annotated catalogue (Lepidoptera: Nepticuloidea), Zootaxa 1216 (1216), pp. 1-114 : 27

Stigmella alaternella ( Le Marchand, 1937)

F: Nepticula alaternella ; Le Marchand 1937: 235 — 06

Stigmella alaternella ; Suire 1951: 78— 30; Lhomme [1963]: 1199 — 06

Misidentifications: Nepticula catharticella ; Stainton 1869: 228 — 06; Millière 1876a: 373 — 06 Stigmella catharticella ; Lhomme [1963]: 1199— 06

Material. France: 06: VM, 2.5 km SSW Levens, 480 m, 10.viii.1987, EvN; 12♂, 16♀, TM, Menton, la Turbie, 28.iii.2000, e.l. iv.2000, AL & ZL; 13: 1 adult, Aubagne, RB ( RB); 1 TM, Eygalières (Les Alpilles), 10 km SW Orgon, 180 m, 15.ii.1991, EvN; 1 adult, Marseille St Jerome, RB ( RB); 2♂, 1♀, TM, 4 km NE Maussane (Les Alpilles), 16.ii.1991, e.l. 4–7.iv.1991, EvN; 34: 6♂, 4♀, larvae, Bédarieux, 26.iii.2003, e.l. iv.2003, AL & ZL; 66: TM, Banyuls­sur­Mèr, 25.vii.1982, EvN; 1 VM, 2.5 km S Opoul­Périllos, D 5, 163 m, 21.vi.2005, EvN; 83: 1♂, Ile du Levant, 15.ix.1954, H. Legrand ( MNHN) [misidentified as S. catharticella or E. septembrella ]; 7 TM, Le Lavandou, coastal cliff, 12.ii.1991, EvN; 84: 1 adult, Apt, RB ( RB); 1 dead larva, Fontaine de Vaucluse, vallon de la Font de l'Oule, 120 m, 4.v.1999, EvN (observation); VM, Pt. Luberon, 1 km S Oppèdele­Vieux, 500 m, 5.v.1999, EvN (observation). Monaco: 4♀, e.l. 20­25.v, coll. Joannis [misidentified as catharticella] ( MNHN). All on Rhamnus alaternus .

Remarks. Le Marchand was the first to recognise that the miner on Rhamnus alaternus is a different species, which previously had been identified as S. catharticella . Probably distributed throughout the western Mediterranean region with its host. Young mines are sometimes confused with the narrow mines of Bucculatrix alaternella Constant, 1890 , with which it is almost always sympatric.