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

 

Argyresthia aurulentella Stainton, 1849
[Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae]

Gold Juniper Argent


Argyresthia aurulentella Stainton, 1849. Zoologist Appl: 40.


Leaf-miner: The larva enters a needle by making a circular entrance, which is closed with silk. The needle is more or less completely mined out, after which the larva leaves the mine either througth the first opening, or by making a new one. This procedure is repeated a number of times. The mines hardly contain any frass. Pupation in the ground (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).

The larva of aurulentella has body dirty green, reddish towards the end. Head shining black, prothoracic and anal plate blackish brown with an olive brown centre (Bladmineerders van Europa).

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

See Patocka and Turcáni (2005) (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Adult: The adult is not illustrated in UKMoths (check for update). The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Cupressaceae        
Juniperus       Pitkin & Plant

Hosts elsewhere:

Cupressaceae        
Juniperus       Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - larvae: March - April (Hering, 1957).

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Britain including Caernarvonshire, East Sutherland, Easterness, Glamorgan, North Aberdeenshire, South Aberdeenshire, South Wiltshire, West Lancashire and Westmorland (NBN Atlas).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Italian mainland, Kaliningrad Region, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Romania, Russia - Northwest, Sardinia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Host species unknown

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



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-May-2019  Brian Pitkin Top of page