ALCHEMILLA. Lady's-mantles. [Rosaceae]

Eighteen species of Alchemilla are recorded in Britain. Twelve of these are native species including Silver Lady's-mantle (A. conjuncta), Smooth Lady's-mantle (A. glabra) and Garden Lady's-mantle (A. mollis).

No Diptera miners are recorded on Alchemilla in Britain.

Elsewhere the Rosaceae-feeding agromyzid Agromyza idaeina is recorded mining Alchemilla.

Only one non-Diptera miner, Incurvaria praetella, is recorded on Alchemilla in Britain.

Elsewhere one additional British non-Diptera miner, Cnephasia incertana, is recorded on Alchemilla (see below).

A key to the European miners, based on characteristics of the mines, immature stages and where relevant the larval cases, recorded on Alchemilla is provided in Bladmineerders van Europa. This includes Coleophora rectilineella, Incurvaria praetella, Agromyza idaeina, Cnephasia incertana and Cnephasia asseclana but not Stigmella centifoliella.

Garden Lady's-mantle
Alchemilla mollis

Key for the idetification of the mines of British
non-Diptera recorded on Alchemilla

Note: The larvae of mining Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera may live in a corridor mine, a corridor-blotch mine, a blotch mine, a case, a rolled or folded leaf, a tentiform mine or sandwiched between two more or less circular leaf sections in later instars. Larva may pupate in a silk cocoon. The larva may have at least six legs (although they may be reduced or absent), a head capsule and chewing mouthparts with opposable mandibles (see video of a gracillarid larva feeding). Larvae of Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera usually also have abdominal legs (see examples). Frass, if present, never in two rows. Unless feeding externally from within a case the larva usually vacates the mine by chewing an exit hole. Pupa with visible head appendages, wings and legs which lie in sheaths (see examples).

1a > Leaf-miner: In the first instar the larva mines the leaves, forming short, irregular, blotch-like mines, but in later instars it lives externally, feeding in spun leaves and often twisting those of tender shoots. Larval head light-brown or yellowish brown, edged with black postero-laterally, ocellar area blackish; prothoracic plate black edged with whitish anteriorly; abdomen dull dark green; pinacula distinct, black, sometimes brownish but with black bases to setae; anal plate large, black (Bradley et al., 1973). Small, full depth mine without a definite shape; little frass. Some silk is deposited in the mine. The larva soon leaves the mine and continues feeding among spun leaves (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Recorded on numerous genera and species of plant families, but not yet on Alchemilla, in Britain. Recorded on numerous genera and species of plant families including Alchemilla elsewhere. Widespread in Britain and continental Europe. Also recorded from the Channel Is.

Cnephasia incertana (Treitschke, 1835) [Lepidoptera: Tortricidae]

1b > Leaf-miner: Small (less than 1 cm), full depth blotch, transparent when fresh, starting at the leaf margin, usually near the leaf tip; frass in scattered grains. The larva makes an elliptic double sided excision to form a case. Subsequently, it continues feeding within the case (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Recorded on Agrimonia, Alchemilla, Filipendula, Fragaria, Geum and Rubus in Britain. Recorded on Achillea, Agrimonia, Alchemilla, Filipendula, Fragaria, Geum, Potentilla, Rubus and Spiraea elsewhere. Distributed throughout much of Britain. Widespread in continental Europe.

Incurvaria praetella (Denis and Schiffermüller, 1775) [Lepidoptera: Incurvariidae]