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

 

Epermenia chaerophyllella (Goeze, 1783)
[Lepidoptera: Epermeniidae]

Garden Lance-wing


Phalaena chaerophyllella Goeze, 1783
Lophonotus fasciculellus
Stephens, 1834. Ill. Brit. Ins. 4: 218, pl. 9 fig. 1.
Chauliodus nigrostriatellus
Heylaerts, 1883. C.R. Soc. ent. belg. 27: 12.
Tinea testaceella
Hübner, 1813. Samml. europ. Schmett. Tinea 47: 326
Epermenia turatiella
Costantini, 1923. Atti. Soc. ital. Sci. Nat. Milano 62: 68. [Synonymised by Gaedicke, 1966. Beitr. Ent. 16: 670].
Epermenia chaerophyllella
(Goeze, 1783).


Leaf-miner: The larva are often gregarious and feeds on the underside of the leaf causing a 'windowing' effect as they eat the mesophyll and lower epidermis. This effect can be seen from the top of the leaf as it discolours (British leafminers).

Short, small, irregular, sometimes widened corridor. Mostly a number in a leaf, concentrated in the axils of the midrib and the primary side veins. Each larva makes a number of mines. Often the larva protrudes with its rear end out of the mine, causing most frass to be ejected. While moving, at the leaf underside, silken threads are produced, in wich grains of frass may be trapped. Older larvae live free and cause window feeding, often in a group under a light spinning (Bladmineerders van Europa).

The mine is also illustrated in UKMoths.

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 illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa, British leafminers and UKMoths.

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

The pupa is illustrated in British leafminers, UKMoths and Bladmineerders van Europa.

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

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Apiaceae        
Angelica sylvestris Wild Angelica British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Godfray and Sterling, 1996a
Angelica sylvestris Wild Angelica British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Angelica sylvestris Wild Angelica British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. UKMoths
Anthriscus sylvestris Cow Parsley British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Anthriscus sylvestris Cow Parsley British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Anthriscus sylvestris Cow Parsley British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Daucus carota Carrot British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Godfray and Sterling, 1996a
Daucus carota Carrot British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Daucus carota Carrot British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Heracleum sphondylium Hogweed British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Godfray and Sterling, 1996a
Heracleum sphondylium Hogweed British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Heracleum sphondylium Hogweed British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Heracleum sphondylium Hogweed British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. UKMoths
Pastinaca sativa Wild Parsnip British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Godfray and Sterling, 1996a
Pastinaca sativa Wild Parsnip British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Pastinaca sativa Wild Parsnip British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Pastinaca sativa Wild Parsnip British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. UKMoths

Hosts elsewhere:

Apiaceae        
Aegopodium podagraria Ground-elder British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Hering, 1957
Angelica       Belgian Lepidoptera
Angelica archangelica subsp. litoralis     Bladmineerders van Europa
Angelica sylvestris Wild Angelica British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Anthriscus       Belgian Lepidoptera
Anthriscus caucalis Bur Chervil British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Anthriscus cerefolium Garden Chervil   Bladmineerders van Europa
Anthriscus sylvestris Cow Parsley British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Apium       Hering, 1957
Apium graveolens Wild Celery British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Berula erecta Lesser Water-parsnip   Hering, 1957
Berula erecta Lesser Water-parsnip   Bladmineerders van Europa
Carum carvi Caraway British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Hering, 1957
Carum carvi Caraway British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Chaerophyllum       Hering, 1957
Chaerophyllum hirsutum Hairy Chervil   Bladmineerders van Europa
Chaerophyllum temulum Rough Chervil British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Cicuta virosa Cowbane British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Hering, 1957
Cicuta virosa Cowbane British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Conium maculatum Hemlock British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Hering, 1957
Conium maculatum Hemlock British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Daucus carota Carrot British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Heracleum sphondylium Hogweed British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Heracleum sphondylium Hogweed British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Levisticum officinale Lovage   Hering, 1957
Levisticum officinale Lovage   Bladmineerders van Europa
Oenanthe       Hering, 1957
Oenanthe       Bladmineerders van Europa
Pastinaca       Belgian Lepidoptera
Pastinaca sativa Wild Parsnip British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Peucedanum       Hering, 1957
Peucedanum       Bladmineerders van Europa
Pimpinella       Hering, 1957
Pimpinella saxifraga Burnet-saxifrage British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Seseli       Hering, 1957
Seseli libanotis Moon Carrot British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Silaum       Bladmineerders van Europa
Sison amomum Stone Parsley British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Sium latifolium Greater water-parsnip British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Hering, 1957
Sium latifolium Greater water-parsnip   Bladmineerders van Europa
Torilis       Hering, 1957
Torilis       Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - larvae: May-June; August-September (British leafminers).

Time of year - adults: Two or three generations, with the last generation overwintering as an adult (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Rather common throughout the British Isles (UKMoths) including Anglesey, Banffshire, Bedfordshire, Caernarvonshire, Cambridgeshire, Denbighshire, Derbyshire, Dorset, Dumfriesshire, East Cornwall, East Gloucestershire, East Norfolk, East Ross, East Suffolk, East Sutherland, Easterness, Fife, Flintshire, Edinburgh, Elgin, Flintshire, Glamorgan, Haddington, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Isle of Wight, Kincardineshire, Kirkudbrightshire, Leicestershire, Linlithgow, North Aberdeenshire, North Ebudes, North Hampshire, North Somerset, North Northumberland, Outer Hebrides, North Wiltshire, Pembrokeshire, Shropshire, South Aberdeenshire, South Devon, South Hampshire, South Lancashire, South Northumberland, South Wiltshire, South-east Yorkshire, South-west Yorkshire, Stafford, Stirlingshire, Surrey, West Cornwall, West Gloucestershire, West Kent, West Norfolk, West Suffolk, West Sutherland, Wigtownshire and Worcestershire (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, Belarus, Belgium, Corsica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Greek mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Kaliningrad Region, Latvia, Lithuania, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Romania, Russia - Central, East, North, Northwest and South, Sardinia, Slovakia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Ukraine (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Aegopodium podagraria, Angelica sylvestris, Anthriscus caucalis, Anthriscus cerefolium, Anthriscus sylvestris, Apium graveolens, Berula erecta, Carum carvi, Chaerophyllum hirsutum, Chaerophyllum temulum, Cicuta virosa, Conium maculatum, Daucus carota, Heracleum sphondylium, Levisticum officinale, Pastinaca sativa, Pimpinella saxifraga, Seseli libanotis, Sison amomum, Sium latifolium

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Macrocentrus nitidus (Wesmael, 1835) Braconidae: Macrocentrinae
Apanteles obscurus (Nees, 1834) Braconidae: Microgastrinae
Dolichogenidea imperator (Wilkinson, 1939) Braconidae: Microgastrinae
Dolichogenidea infima (Haliday, 1834) Braconidae: Microgastrinae
Clinocentrus vestigator (Haliday, 1836) Braconidae: Rogadinae
Campoplex pyraustae Smith, 1931 Ichneumonidae: Campopleginae
Campoplex tumidulus Gravenhorst, 1829 Ichneumonidae: Campopleginae
Mesochorus stigmator (Thunberg, 1822) Ichneumonidae: Mesochorinae
Triclistus epermeniae Shaw & Aeschlimann, 1994 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 18-Oct-2019  Brian Pitkin Top of page