''Lyonetia boehmeriella'' is a moth in the

Lyonetiidae Lyonetiidae is a family of moths with some 200 described species. These are small, slender moths, the wingspan rarely exceeding 1 cm. The very narrow forewings, held folded backwards covering the hindwings and abdomen, often have pointed ap ...

family. It is known from

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...

island of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The wingspan is 6–7 mm. Adults are on wing from the middle of April to the middle of May, from the end of June to the beginning of July, from the end of July to the beginning of August, at the end of August and at the middle of October. There are several generations per year. The larvae feed on ''

Boehmeria spicata ''Boehmeria'' is a genus of 47 species of flowering plants in the nettle family Urticaceae. Of the species, 33 are indigenous to the Old World and 14 to the New World; no species is indigenous to both the Old and New Worlds. The species incl ...

''. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine has the form of a blotch mine, usually extending from the apex of the leaf towards the base in an irregular blotch. The spring mine is deep brown, opaque and occupying the apical portion of the leaf, while the autumnal mine is pale green, semi-transparent and sometimes forming at the central portion of the leaf. The blackish grains of

frass Frass refers loosely to the more or less solid excreta of insects, and to certain other related matter. Definition and etymology ''Frass'' is an informal term and accordingly it is variously used and variously defined. It is derived from the G ...

are scattered in the mine. The larva often migrates from one leaf to another. Full-grown larvae leave the mine and spin a hammock-like cocoon on the lower side of the leaf.

External links

Revisional Studies on the Family Lyonetiidae of Japan (Lepidoptera)
Lyonetiidae Moths of Japan {{Lyonetiidae-stub