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

 

Phyllonorycter salicicolella (Sircom, 1848)
[Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae]

Long-streak Midget


Argyromiges salicicolella Sircom, 1848. Zoologist: 2271.
Lithocolletis brevilineatella
Benander, 1946. Opusc. ent. 9:108, fig'd.
Phyllonorycter salicicolella
(Sircom, 1848).


Leaf-miner: The larvae feed in a blotch on the underside of a leaf of sallow, causing the leaf edge to curl under when at the edge (UKMoths).

Fairly small, lower-surface, tentiform mine, often toching the leaf margin. The reddish brown pupa in a flimsy, whitish of very pale yellowish cocoon; possibly the cocoon sometimes is missing altogether. Frass packed in a corner of the mine (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Cannot be separated (without opening mine or breeding moths) from mines of other sallow-feeding species (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).

The pupa is illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa.

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

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Salicaceae        
Populus tremula Aspen British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Salix       British leafminers
Salix       UKMoths
Salix aurita Eared Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Salix caprea Goat Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Salix cinerea Grey Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant

Hosts elsewhere:

Salicaceae        
Salix       Belgian Lepidoptera
Salix aurita Eared Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Salix aurita Eared Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Salix caprea Goat Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Salix caprea Goat Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Salix cinerea Grey Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Salix cinerea Grey Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Salix myrsinifolia Dark-leaved Willow   Bladmineerders van Europa

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

Time of year - adults: Two generations producing adults in May and again in July and August (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Throughout the British Isles (UKMoths) including Anglesey, Bedfordshire, Breconshire, Caernarvonshire, Cambridgeshire, Carmarthenshire, Cheshire, Denbighshire, Dorset, Durham, East Cornwall, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, East Sutherland, Flintshire, Glamorgan, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Isle of Wight, Kirkudbrightshire, Merionethshire, Middlesex, Monmouthshire, North Northumberland, North Somerset, Outer Hebrides, Pembrokeshire, Shropshire, South Northumberland, South Somerset, South-west Yorkshire, Stafford, West Cornwall, West Lancashire, West Norfolk, West Suffolk, Westmorland and Worcestershire (NBN Atlas). It is commoner in the south and rather local in Scotland (UKMoths).

See also British leafminers distribution map.

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, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Romania, Russia - Central, North and Northwest, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Ukraine. Also recorded in East Palaearctic (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Populus tremula, Salix aurita, Salix caprea, Salix cinerea, Salix myrsinifolia

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Chalcidoidea  
Chrysocharis amasis (Walker, 1839) Eulophidae: Entedoninae
Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Coloneura stylata Förster, 1862 Braconidae: Alysiinae
Colastes braconius Haliday, 1833 Braconidae: Exothecinae
Pholetesor nanus (Reinhard, 1880) Braconidae: Microgastrinae
Encrateola laevigata (Ratzeburg, 1848) Ichneumonidae: Cryptinae
Scambus inanis (Schrank, 1802) Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae


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 11-Jul-2019  Brian Pitkin Top of page