Argyresthia abdominalis [Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae] in Leaf and stem mines of British flies and other insects

The leaf and stem mines of British flies and other insects

(Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera)

by Brian Pitkin, Willem Ellis, Colin Plant and Rob Edmunds

Argyresthia abdominalis Zeller, 1839
[Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae]

Downland Argent

Argyresthia abdominalis Zeller, 1839. Isis: 205.
Argyresthia helvetica Heinemann, 1877. Schmett. Deutsch. 2 (2): 652.

Leaf-miner: The larvae mines several leaves out, working from the base to the tip. It migrates to the next leaf by way of a short corridor in the bark of the twig. The larva therefore does not need to make openings in the needles for entrance or exit. Pupation external, in a spinning on the twig (Bladmineerders van Europa).

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 of abdominalis has the body orange brown, spotted reddish brown. Head black, prothoracic plate dark grey, spotted black (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Pupa: The pupae of moths have visible head appendages, wings and legs which lie in sheaths (see examples).

Adult: The adult is not illustrated in UKMoths (check for update). The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Cupressaceae
Juniperus				Pitkin & Plant

Hosts elsewhere:

Cupressaceae
Juniperus				Belgian Lepidoptera
Juniperus				Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - larvae: March - April (Hering, 1957).

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Britain including North Hampshire and West Sussex (NBN Atlas).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Luxembourg, ? Macedonia, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Romania, Russia North, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and Yugoslavia (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Host species unknown

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available
Diadegma armillatum (Gravenhorst, 1829)	Ichneumonidae: Campopleginae
Diadegma fenestrale (Holmgren, 1860)	Ichneumonidae: Campopleginae


External links:	Search the internet:
Belgian Lepidoptera Biodiversity Heritage Library Bladmineerders van Europa British leafminers Encyclopedia of Life Fauna Europaea NBN Atlas NHM UK Checklist UKMoths	Find using Google Find using Google Scholar Find images using Google


	Last updated 10-Jul-2019 Brian Pitkin