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

 

Caloptilia semifascia (Haworth, 1828)
[Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae]

Maple Slender


Gracillaria semifascia Haworth, 1828. Lep. Brit.: 528
Caloptilia semifascia
(Haworth, 1828)
Calybites hauderi Rebel, 1906. Verh. zool-bot. Ges. Wien 56: 9
Caloptilia hauderi
(Rebel, 1906).


Leaf-miner: At first it inhabits a leaf-mine, then a leaf cone and, finally, a sequence of two leaf rolls. The feeding signs can be confused with those of C. rufipennella on sycamore, so records of C. semifascia should only be made if the adult is reared (UKMoths).

The mine begins as an inconspicuous, short, lower-surface epidermal gallery. This widens into a small triangular blotch, usually in a vein axil. The mine in this stage is fairly transparant. Older larvae live free in a leaf cone, made by folding down a leaf segment. In the course of its life the larva makes three cones, of increasing size, on the same leaf or not. Pupation in a flat, parchement-like, shining, yellowish white cocoon on either side of the leaf, generally near the margin (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Early mine a gallery leading to a squarish blotch. Later forms up to three successive tubes or cones by folding the tips of leaves downwards (British leafminers).

As Caloptilia hauderi (the spring generation of semifascia) - The larva forms a cone on a leaf and feeds within it (UKMoths). The mine is also described in British leafminers and Bladmineerders van Europa (in Dutch only at present).

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).

Pupa: The pupae of moths have visible head appendages, wings and legs which lie in sheaths (see examples). In a silken cocoon on either side of leaf UKMoths.

As Caloptilia hauderi (the spring generation of semifascia) - Details unknown.

Adult: The adult is illustrated in UKMoths. The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.

As Caloptilia hauderi (the spring generation of semifascia) - The adult is illustrated in UKMoths by Tim Freed.

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Comments: Treated as junior subjective synonym of Tinea onustella Hübner, 1813 (Haworth, A. H. 1828). Lepidopterae Britannicae. Pars IV cum indice finali. - :[Part 4 pagination: 512-609] (see De Prins, J. and De Prins, W. 2010. Global Taxonomic Database of Gracillariidae (Lepidoptera). World Wide Web electronic publication [accessed 25 November 2010] .

Caloptilia hauderi is now known to be the spring generation of C.semifascia in the UK (Langmaid et al. 2011. Nota Lepidopterologica 33, 191-197). Early mine is a gallery leading to a squarish blotch. Later forms up to three successive tubes or cones by folding the tips of leaves downwards

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Aceraceae        
Acer campestre Field Maple British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Acer campestre Field Maple British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant, as hauderi
Acer campestre Field Maple British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Acer campestre Field Maple British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers, as hauderi
Acer campestre Field Maple British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. UKMoths
Acer campestre Field Maple British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. UKMoths, as hauderi
Acer platanoides Norway Maple British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Acer pseudoplatanus Sycamore British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Acer pseudoplatanus Sycamore British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers, as hauderi
Acer pseudoplatanus Sycamore British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant, as hauderi
Acer pseudoplatanus Sycamore British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. UKMoths
Acer saccharinum Sugar Maple British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers

Hosts elsewhere:

Aceraceae        
Acer campestre Field Maple British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Acer campestre Field Maple British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Acer campestre Field Maple British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa, as hauderi

Time of year - larvae: June and July and occasionally in late August and September (British leafminers).

As Caloptilia hauderi (the spring generation of semifascia) - June (British leafminers).

Time of year - adults: From late July to October and again, after hibernating, until May (UKMoths).

As Caloptilia hauderi (the spring generation of semifascia) - July and August, overwintering as an adult (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespread in England and South Wales, but usually restricted to localities where Field maple (Acer campestre) is common. Outlying populations occur in Caernarvon-Denbigh and in Cumbria-York (UKMoths); Bedfordshire, Breconshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Carmarthenshire, Denbighshire, Derbyshire, Dorset, Durham, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, Glamorgan, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Isle of Wight, Leicestershire, North Hampshire, North Somerset, South Hampshire, South Wiltshire, South-west Yorkshire, Stafford, Surrey, West Gloucestershire and West Suffolk (NBN Atlas).

See also British leafminers distribution map.

As Caloptilia hauderi (the spring generation of semifascia) - A very local species, occurring in a small number of localities in the south. It is known from the Isle of Wight and West Sussex, including Ferring-by-Sea (UKMoths); Isle of Wight and West Sussex (NBN Atlas).

See also British Leafminers distribution map.

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Romania, Russia - Central, East and South, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland (Fauna Europaea).

As Caloptilia hauderi (the spring generation of semifascia) - Widespread in continental Europe including Austria, Czech Republic, French mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Romania and Switzerland (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Acer campestre, Acer pseudoplatanus

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Apanteles metacarpalis (Thomson, 1895) Braconidae: Microgastrinae
Apanteles xanthostigma (Haliday, 1834) Braconidae: Microgastrinae
Dolichogenidea lineipes (Wesmael, 1837) Braconidae: Microgastrinae
Dolichogenidea punctiger (Wesmael, 1837) Braconidae: Microgastrinae
Pholetesor bicolor (Nees, 1834) Braconidae: Microgastrinae
Pholetesor circumscriptus (Nees, 1834) Braconidae: Microgastrinae
Pholetesor laetus (Marshall, 1885) Braconidae: Microgastrinae
Chorinaeus talpa (Haliday, 1838) Ichneumonidae: Metopinae


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

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Last updated 13-Jul-2019  Brian Pitkin Top of page