Leaf-miner: The larva feeds initially in a gallery on the underside of a mugwort
leaf, eventually forming a blotch or blister that becomes inflated
and turns at first yellowish, and later purple (UKMoths).
Upper
surface blotch, with a conspicuous yellow-orange tinge (older mines
turn brown). The larva lines the inside with much silk, causing
the mine to pucker up strongly (the inflated surface and the mostly
orange tinge distinguish the mine easily from that of Calycomyza
artemisiae [Diptera: Agromyzidae] on the same host plant).
The mine is preceded by a long lower-surface corridor, running along
the midrib or the leaf margin (but practically invisible because
of the densely hairy leaf underside). When the larva is almost full-grown
it starts eating parts of the upper epidermis, giving the older
mines a mottled appearance. Black frass in the centre of the mine.
Pupation external (Bladmineerders van Europa).
The
mine is also illustrated in 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 illustrated in 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 (by Donald Hobern) 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: July, August - September (British
leafminers).
Time
of year - adults: The moths occur in two generations, flying
in May and in August, usually in the late afternoon (UKMoths).
Distribution
in Great Britain and Ireland: Distributed mainly in the south
and east of England, this species frequents waste ground and similar
habitats where its foodplant, mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris),
is plentiful (UKMoths)
including Bedfordshire, Dorset, East Kent, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, Hertfordshire,
Isle of Wight, Middlesex, North Hampshire, North Somerset, South Essex,
West Kent, West Norfolk and West Suffolk (NBN
Atlas).
See also British
leafminers distribution map.
Distribution
elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria,
Balearic Is., Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Is., Corsica, Czech Republic,
Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary,
Italian mainland, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia - Central and
South, Slovakia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands.
Also recorded in East Palaearctic and the Near East (Fauna Europaea).
NBN Atlas links to known host species:
British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:
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