• HOME
• About
  • Acknowledgements
  • Introduction
  • Methods
  • Morphology
  • Recent Changes
• Checklists
• Genus Index
• Species Index
• Keys
  • By Host Plant Genus
  • By Host Plant Common Name
  • To Liromyza species in Glasshouse and/or Quarantine Interceptions
• Parasitoids
• References
• Resources
• Search

Leaf-miner: The mine on the underside can cause the whole leaf to arch (British leafminers).

Mines are most often found on plants low down amongst the heather (UKMoths).

Lower-surface tentiform mine, that involves almost the entire leaf. The leaf margins are strongly pulled together, arching the upper surface. Because the leaf tissue of the roof of the mine is incompletely eaten away, this upper surface has got a mottled appearance (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).

Body pale amber yellow, head light yellow brown (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Pupa: The pupae of moths have visible head appendages, wings and legs which lie in sheaths (see examples).Body pale amber yellow, head light yellow brown (Bladmineerders van Europa)

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

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Ericaceae
Vaccinium	vitis-idaea	Cowberry		British leafminers
Vaccinium	vitis-idaea	Cowberry		Pitkin & Plant
Vaccinium	vitis-idaea	Cowberry		UKMoths

Hosts elsewhere:

Ericaceae
Vaccinium	vitis-idaea	Cowberry		Belgian Lepidoptera
Vaccinium	vitis-idaea	Cowberry		Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - larvae: July, October-April (British leafminers).

Time of year - adults: Mainly on the wing in June and July, although in some areas it can be double-brooded, appearing again later in the autumn (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: A species of higher ground, particularly moorland, distributed in Wales and from the Midlands northwards to much of Scotland (UKMoths) including Banffshire, Breconshire, Caernarvonshire, Cheshire, Denbighshire, Derbyshire, Dumfriesshire, Durham, Easterness, Elgin, Flintshire, Glamorgan, Kincardineshire, Kirkudrightshire, Merionethshire, North Aberdeenshire, Radnorshire, Shropshire, South Aberdeenshire, South Northumberland, Stirling and West Perth (NBN Atlas).

See also British leafminers distribution map.

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

NBN Atlas maps of known host species:

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Belgian Lepidoptera
Biodiversity Heritage Library
Bladmineerders van Europa
British leafminers
Encyclopedia of Life
Fauna Europaea
NBN Atlas
NHM UK Checklist
UKMoths