Leaf-miner
/ stem-borer: Very variable mine - corridor or blotch, with
or without frass (Bladmineerders van Europa).
The
larvae mine the leaves at first. In leeks it then bores through
them and later enters the middle to feed on the inner leaves. In
onion it feeds inside the leaves and can enter the bulb to feed
(British
leafminers).
Larva: The larvae of moths have a head capsule and chewing mouthparts with opposable mandibles (see video of a gracillarid larva feeding), six thoracic legs and abdominal legs (see examples).
The larva is described by Heppner (1987)
and illustrated in British
leafminers.
Pupa: The pupae of moths have visible head appendages, wings and legs which lie in sheaths (see examples).
The larva pupates in an open network cocoon, either on the foodplant
or close by (UKMoths
and British
leafminers).
Adult:
The adult is illustrated in UKMoths and the Encyclopedia
of Life. The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.
Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:
Hosts
elsewhere:
Time
of year - larvae: May - June; August - October (British
leafminers).
Time
of year - adults: Two generations - June and July, and from
October through the winter to early spring (UKMoths).
Distribution
in Great Britain and Ireland: Although it has the potential
to be a pest, it is rather scarce and local. It is distributed mainly
in the south-east of England, especially around the coast (UKMoths)
including Dorset, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, East Sussex, Glamorgan, Kirkudbrightshire, Leicestershire, North Somerset, Stafford, Surrey,
West Gloucestershire and West Suffolk (NBN
Atlas). Also Cheltenham, East Gloucestershire (British
leafminers).
Distribution
elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria,
Balearic Is., Belarus, Belgium, Corsica, Czech Republic, Danish
mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Italian
mainland, Kaliningrad Region, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Norwegian mainland, Portuguese mainland, Romania, Russia
- Central, North and Northwest, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland,
The Netherlands, Ukraine and Yugoslavia (Fauna Europaea).
NBN Atlas links to known host species:
British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:
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