Leaf-miner: The initial mine is a blotch type. It then leaves this and makes
folds on the leaf edge. The mine looks similar to Parornix
finitimella and the larvae should be examined for identification
of the mine. D. torquilella has legs concolorous with the
body, whereas P. finitimella has black ringed legs (British
leafminers, as Deltaornix torquillella).
The
mine begins as a lower-surface epidermal gallery that widens into
a blotch. Finally it becomes a small, only weakly inflated tentiform
mine, quadrangular of triangular when it lies in a vein axil. The
lower epidermis is whitish, unfolded, and rather transparent. The
leaf tissue is eaten up to the upper epidermis. Frass packed in
a corner of the mine. The older larva leaves the mine, then lives
free under a leaf tip or margin that has been folded downwards,
or in a leaf that is rolled into a pod (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).
Yellowish white/green; head light brown. Contrary to P.
finitimella, living on the same hostplant, the rear margin
of the head does not bear four patches, but two (sometimes indistinct),
and the legs are not black, but yellowish green (Emmet, 1982a; Emmet,
Watkinson and Wilson, 1985a) (Bladmineerders van Europa).
Pupa: The pupae of moths have visible head appendages, wings and legs which lie in sheaths (see examples).
Pupation in a cocoon under the folded edge of leaf (British
leafminers, as Deltaornix torquillella).
Adult:
The adult is illustrated in UKMoths (as Deltaornix torquillella). The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.
Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:
Hosts
elsewhere:
Time
of year - larvae: July to September (British
leafminers, as Deltaornix torquillella).
Time
of year - adults: The moths fly from May to July, and sometimes
are attracted to light (UKMoths,
as Deltaornix torquillella).
Distribution
in Great Britain and Ireland: Britain including Anglesey, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Breconshire, Buckinghamshire, Caernarvonshire,
Cambridgeshire, Carmarthenshire, Cheshire, Denbighshire, Dorset, Dumfireshire, Dunbartonshire, Durham, East Cornwall, East Gloucestershire,
East Kent, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, East Sutherland, Flintshire,
Glamorgan, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Isle of Wight, Kincardineshire, Leicestershire, Merionethshire,
Middlesex, Montgomeryshire, North Aberdeenshire, North Essex, North Hampshire, North Northumberland, North Somerset,
Northamptonshire, Pembrokeshire, Shropshire, South Aberdeenshire, South Lancashire, South Northumberland, South Wiltshire, Stafford, Stirlingshire, Surrey, West Cornwall, West Gloucestershire, West Norfolk, West Suffolk, West Sussex, Wigtownshire and Worcestershire (NBN
Atlas).
See also British
leafminers distribution map (as Deltaornix torquillella).
Also
recorded in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland
(Fauna Europaea and National Biodiversity Data Centre Map). as Deltaornix torquillella.
Distribution
elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria,
Belarus, Belgium, Corsica, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, French
mainland, Germany, Greek mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Macedonia,
Republic of Moldova, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Portuguese mainland,
Romania, Russia - Central and South, Sicily, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland,
The Netherlands and Ukraine (Fauna Europaea).
Also
recorded in the Near East (Fauna Europaea). NBN Atlas links to known host species:
British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:
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