Stigmella rhamnella (Herrich­Schäffer, 1860)

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 : 25-26

Stigmella rhamnella (Herrich­Schäffer, 1860) Fig. 2

F: Nepticula rhamnella ; Chrétien 1905a: 29— 34, Klimesch & Skala 1936: 93 — 04

Stigmella rhamnella ; Lhomme [1963]: 1168 — 04, 34

Excluded records: Stigmella rhamnella ; Lhomme [1963]: 1168— 78, 92; Leraut 2003: 17— 77 [probably all S catharticella ]

Material. 04: 1♂, Castellane, 29.ix.1970, Rhamnus sp. , AL & ZL; 1♂, 1 mine ( Fig. 2), Digne, 17.vi.1901, R. saxatilis subsp. infectoria, Chrétien ( MNHN); 26: 1♀, La Penne­surl'Ouvèze, 15–19.vii.1986, HW ( HW); 1 TM, Vercors: 1 km SE St. Laurent­en­Royans, Le Saut, 450 m, 6.viii.2002, R. cathartica , EvN; 34: 1♀, 2 mines, St. Pons, 19.vii.1904, R. saxatilis subsp. infectoria, Chrétien ( MNHN); 38: TM, Le Sappey­en­Chartreuse, Mt. St. Eynard, 8 km NE Grenoble, 1300 m, 26.vi.1983, R. cathartica , EvN; 66: VM, Porté Puymorens, near Carol riv., 1600 m, 13.viii.1982, R. alpina , EvN; VM, 2 km N Villefranchede­Conflent, Belloc, 880 m, 9.viii.1982, R. saxatilis , EvN; 73: 1 TM, 2 VM, Modane, southern slopes, 1100–1200 m, 24.viii.1979, R. alpina + R. cathartica , EvN; TM, Mt du Chat: Molard Noir, 1452 m, 8.viii.1979, R. alpina , EvN; 1♀, TM, Mt du Chat: Roc Blanc, 1000 m, 8.viii.1979, R. alpina , e.l. 29.viii.1979, EvN; 83: 1 adult, Le Puits de Rians, R. saxatilis subsp. infectoria, RB ( RB); 84: 1 adult, Viens, R. saxatilis subsp. infectoria, RB ( RB).

Remarks. Material cited form the Paris region (92: Meudon) has been re­identified as S. catharticella . Currently, therefore, we consider the occurrence of S. rhamnella in the northern parts of France as unlikely. In the mountains of the south it is probably not rare, feeding on a number of Rhamnus species. We illustrate here ( Fig. 2) a mine from Rhamnus saxatilus ssp. infectoria . Lhomme ([1963]) reports Rhamnus frangula (= Frangula dodonei or F.alnus ) as the host, but we do not know the basis for this record. We know this host only from Portugal (van Nieukerken et al. 2004a).