''Parafomoria cistivora'' is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family Nepticulidae. It is found in the western Mediterranean region. The length of the forewings is 2.3-2.6 mm for males and 2.1-2.6 mm for females. Adults are on wing from the end of August to the end of October. There is probably one generation per year. The larvae feed on ''

Cistus ladanifer ''Cistus ladanifer'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Cistaceae. It is native to the western Mediterranean region. Common names include gum rockrose, labdanum, common gum cistus, and brown-eyed rockrose. Description It is a shrub ...

'', ''

Cistus laurifolius ''Cistus laurifolius'', commonly called laurel-leaf cistus, laurel-leaved cistus or laurel-leaved rock rose, is a species of highly branched flowering evergreen shrub native plant, native to some areas around the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean. ...

'', '' Cistus monspeliensis'', ''

Cistus populifolius ''Cistus populifolius'' is a shrubby species of flowering plant in the family Cistaceae The Cistaceae are a small family of plants (rock-rose or rock rose family) known for their beautiful shrubs, which are profusely covered by flowers at th ...

'' and ''

Cistus salviifolius ''Cistus salviifolius'', common names sage-leaved rock-rose, salvia cistus or Gallipoli rose, is a shrub of the family Cistaceae. Etymology The genus name ''Cistus'' derives from the Ancient Greek words ''κίσθος'' (''kisthos'') meaning bas ...

''. They

mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging * Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun ...

the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a long, often contorted, narrow corridor that hardly widens towards the end. The

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 ...

is deposited in an interrupted central line that never occupies over one third of the corridor width. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.

External links

Fauna EuropaeaThe Cistaceae-feeding Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera) of the western Palaearctic region
Nepticulidae Moths of Europe Moths described in 1871 {{nepticulidae-stub