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

 

Orchestes alni (Linnaeus, 1758)
[Coleoptera : Curculionidae]


Curculio alni Linnaeus, 1758.
Curculio saltatoralni
De Geer, 1775.
Curculio saltator
Geoffroy, 1785
Curculio inquinatus
Panzer, 1797.
Curculio atricapillus
Marsham, 1802.
Curculio ferrugineus
Marsham, 1802.
Rhynchaenus pilosus
Gyllenhal, 1813.
Rhynchaenus alni
(Linnaeus, 1758).
Orchestes alni
(Linnaeus, 1758).


Leaf-miner: Oviposition in the underside of the midrib; here an extensive scar remains visible. From this point a full depth corridor runs towards the leaf tip, where it widens to a blotch. The legless larva eventually pupates in a globular cocoon, made inside the mine. Because the mine is made at a time the leaf still is unfolding, the leaf can be strongly disfigured (Bladmineerders van Europa).

A blotch is formed at the leaf tip from an initial corridor, which runs from the midrib (British leafminers).

Larva: The larvae of beetles have a head capsule and chewing mouthparts with opposable mandibles and lack abdominal legs (see examples).

The larva is illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa.

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

The pupa is illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa.

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Ulmaceae        
Ulmus       British leafminers
Ulmus procera English Elm British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant

Hosts elsewhere:

Ulmaceae        
Ulmus glabra Wych Elm British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Ulmus minor Small Leaved Elm British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - larvae: Early Summer (June) (British leafminers).

Time of year - adults: June (British leafminers).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespread in Britain including Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Dorset, East Gloucestershire, East Kent, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, Glamorgan, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Isle of Wight, Leicestershire, Middlesex, Monmouthshire, North Devon, North Essex, Northamptonshire, Shropshire, South Devon, South Essex, South Wiltshire, Stafford, Surrey, West Cornwall, West Gloucestershire, West Kent, West Norfolk, West Suffolk and Worcestershire (NBN Atlas).

Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland (Fauna Europaea) and in Ireland (InvertebrateIreland Online).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Bulgaria, Corsica, French mainland, Germany, Italian mainland, Moldova, Poland, Sardinia, Sicily, Slovakia and Yugoslavia (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Ulmus glabra, Ulmus minor, Ulmus procera

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: Currently unknown.



External links: Search the internet:

Biodiversity Heritage Library
Bladmineerders van Europa
British leafminers
Encyclopedia of Life, as Curculio alni
Fauna Europaea
NBN Atlas
NHM UK Checklist

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