Leaf-miner:
Corridor
widening while descending from the tip of the leaf. The mine is
unusual because the sides are very irregularly scalloped out. Moreover,
the mine is not evenly transparent, but rather yellowish green and
motly, because the larva leaves patches of parenchyma uneaten, and
does not feed full depth. Frass in a few irregular, interrupted
length lines. Often 2-3 larvae in a mine. The larvae hibernate in
the centre of the mine; after winter they leave their mine and pupate
(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 apicipunctella is bone coloured. Pronotum, prosternum and anal shield have chitin
structures of a characteristic shape (Steuer, 1976a) (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 illustrated in UKMoths.The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.
Comments:
Festuca gigantea is treated
as Schedonorus gigantea (Giant Fescue) by Stace (2010).
Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland: Various grasses (UKMoths).
Hosts
elsewhere:
Time
of year - larvae:
October until about April (Bladmineerders van Europa).
Time
of year - adults: The adult moths emerge in a single generation
from late April to June in the south, and somewhat later in the
north, from June to July. There may occasionally be the emergence
of a second generation in the south (UKMoths).
Distribution
in Great Britain and Ireland: Common throughout woodland clearings
in Britain (UKMoths)
including Anglesey, Bedfordshire, Caernarvonshire, Cambridgeshire, Carmarthenshire,
Denbighshire, Derbyshire, Dorset, Durham, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, East Sutherland, Haddington, Kincardineshire, Leicestershire, Linlithgow, Merionethshire,
Mid-west Yorkshire, North Aberdeenshire, Shropshire, South Aberdeenshire, South-east Yorkshire, South-west Yorkshire, Stafford, West Norfolk, West Suffolk and Shetland (NBN
Atlas).
Also
recorded in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (Fauna Europaea and National Biodiversity Data Centre 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 - North and Northwest, Slovakia,
Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands (Fauna Europaea).
NBN Atlas links to known host species:
Arrhenatherum
elatius, Brachypodium
sylvaticum, Calamagrostis arundinacea, Dactylis
glomerata, Dactylis
polygama, Deschampsia
cespitosa, Elymus
caninus, Festuca
altissima, Festuca
gigantea (= Schedonorus
gigantea), Holcus
mollis, Luzula
pilosa, Melica
nutans, Milium
effusum, Poa
nemoralis, Poa remota |
British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:
|