The leaf and stem  mines of British flies and other insects by Brian Pitkin, Willem Ellis, Colin Plant and Rob Edmunds


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AMELANCHIER. Juneberries and Snowy Mespilus. [Rosaceae]


Three species of Amelanchier are recorded in Britain. These include the native Juneberry (A. lamarckii), Snowy Mespilus (A. ovalis) and Low Juneberry (A. spicata).

No Diptera miners are recorded mining Amelanchier in Britain.

One non-Diptera miner, Lyonetia clerkella is recorded on Amelanchier in Britain (see below).

Elsewhere sixteen additional British non-Diptera miners are recorded on Amelanchier (see below).

A key to the European miners, based on characteristics of the mines, immature stages and where relevant the larval cases, recorded on Amelanchier is provided in Bladmineerders van Europa. This includes Neocoenorrhinus pauxillus, Coleophora hemerobiella, Coleophora serratella, Coleophora kroneella, Rhamphus oxycanthae, Leucoptera malifoliella, Recurvaria nanella, Bucculatrix bechsteinella, Lyonetia clerkella, Stigmella sorbi, Stigmella oxyacanthella, Stigmella magdalenae, Stigmella mespilicola, Stigmella hybnerella, Parornix anguliferella, Phyllonorycter corylifoliella, Phyllonorycter cydoniella, Phyllonorycter blancardella, Phyllonorycter deschkai and Phyllonorycter mespilella.



Non-Diptera miners recorded on Amelanchier in Britain

Lyonetia clerkella (Linnaeus, 1758) [Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae]

 

Leaf-mine: A long, whitish smoothly-curved upper-surface mine with broken black frass (British leafminers).

Oviposition is by means of an ovipositor; what remains is a small scar: no egg shell is visible at the start of the mine. From here a long, sometimes very long, slender, full depth corridor winds throught the leaf, not steered by leaf margin or the leaf venation. The midrib is crossed effortless (see 'special'); the corridor frequently also crosses itself; the section of the leaf cut off then usally turns brown and dies off. Frass in a narrow central line. The larva vacates the mine prior to pupation through an exit in the upper epidermis. Pupation takes place in a cocoon that hangs in a 'hammock' in a fold of the leaf. The vacated larval chamber is proportionally much longer than in the case of Stigmella mines (> 3 x longer than broad) (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Mine of Lyonetia clerkella on Prunus avium Image: Willem Ellis (Nederlandse bladmineerders)
Mine of Lyonetia clerkella on Prunus avium
Image: Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

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Additional British non-Diptera miners recorded on Amelanchier elsewhere

Coleophora hemerobiella (Scopoli, 1763) [Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae]

 

Leaf-miner and case-bearer: The species spends two years as a larva, the first one-and-a-half years in a small pistol-case, and in the second spring building a long straight case which is dark brown and rather distinctive (UKMoths).

The lava lives from autumn until summer next year. In autumn a composite leaf case is made, shaped like the handle of a walking stick. Early in the following spring a tubular leaf case is made that in the end is rather large (10 mm) and is positioned vertically on the leaf; mouth angle 90° (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Case of Coleophora hemerobiella on Malus sylvestris Image: Willem Ellis (Nederlandse bladmineerders)

Case of Coleophora hemerobiella on Malus sylvestris
Image: Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa).

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Coleophora serratella (Linnaeus, 1761) [Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae]

 

Leaf-miner and case-bearer: The larva feeds by inserting its head into small mines it creates on the leaves of birch, elm, alder, or hazel. Occasionally it is found feeding on other trees, or on herbaceous plants onto which it has accidentally fallen. It forms two cases during its larval life. The first case is initially curved, smooth, laterally compressed with a bivalved anal opening, and about 2 mm long in September. During October it feeds, and adds a few rough collars of larval material around the oral opening. After hibernation, it feeds again in April and early May, adding more protruding collars until they equal or exceed the original smooth part of the case. At the same time, it expands the case girth by the creation of a silk gusset ventrally. The second case, 6 or 7 mm long, is formed in May, leaving the vacated first case attached to its last feeding mine. The new case is tubular with a trivalved crimp at the anal opening. The dorsum is formed from the edge of the leaf from which the case was cut. This results in a more or less serrated dorsal keel, depending on the plant species and the individual piece of leaf used. Considerable variation in the degree of serration can be found, even among specimens off the same tree. The case colour varies with food plant, from yellowish brown on birch, darkening through elm and hazel to dark brown on alder (UKMoths).

The strongly curved young case is is a composite leaf case, the adult case is a tubular leaf case. The adult case is bivalved, about 7 mm in length; the mouth angle is around 30°. The case is straw coloured and almost always has a toothed dorsal keel (remnant of the margin of the leaf from which the case was cut). Neither larvae or cases of C. coracipennella, prunifoliae, serratela and spinella can be separated; from serratella (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Case of Coleophora serratella on Crataegus Image: Willem Ellis (Nederlandse bladmineerders)
Case of Coleophora serratella on Crataegus
Image: Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

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Bucculatrix bechsteinella (Bechstein & Scharfenberg, 1805)

 

Leaf-mine: The larvae initially mining the leaves in a short, contorted gallery. As the larva develops it leaves the mine to feed externally, creating windows on the upperside of the leaves (UKMoths).

Oviposition at the leaf upperside, egg shell iridescent. Small, hook-like corridor, mostly in a vein axil. Frass in a very thick central line. The larva soon leaves the mine through an untidy hole and subsequenty feeds living freely on the leaf (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Mine of Bucculatrix bechsteinella on Crataegus monogyna Image: Willem Ellis (Nederlandse bladmineerders)
Mine of Bucculatrix bechsteinella on Crataegus monogyna
Image: Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

The mine is also described and illustrated in British leafminers.

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Leucoptera malifoliella (O. Costa, 1836) [Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae]

 

Leaf-mine: A circular or oval brownish blotch with a central spiral of dense blackish frass (British leafminers), sometimes several mines in one leaf (UKMoths).

Oviposition is at the leaf underside, well away from the leaf margin; the egg has a fine reticulate surface. The mine is a rather large, perfectly circular blotch without a trace of a preceeding corridor. Around the dark centre the frass, glued to the upper epidermis is arranged in distinct arcs (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Mine of Leucoptera malifoliella on Malus sylvestris Image: Willem Ellis (Nederlandse bladmineerders)
Mine of Leucoptera malifoliella on Malus sylvestris
Image: Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

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Phyllonorycter blancardella (Fabricius, 1781) [Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae]

 

Leaf-mine: A mine with several creases in lower epidermis. On thinner leaves, such as crab-apple, the upper surface may be arched to form a tube (British leafminers).

Lower surface tentiform mine with a yellow-green epidermis that has a few folds. Pupation within the mine. The pupa is amber or chestnut brown, and lies in a white cocoon. Generally the frass is accumulated in a corner of the mine, but sometimes a small quantity is incorporated in the wall of the cocoon (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Mine of Phyllonorycter blancardella on Malus sylvestris Images: Willem Ellis (Nederlandse bladmineerders)
Mine of Phyllonorycter blancardella on Malus sylvestris
Images: Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

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Phyllonorycter corylifoliella (Hübner, 1796) [Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae]

 

Leaf-mine: The mine is in the upper epidermis of a leaf, usually over midrib or vein. The mine is at first silvery, later with brown speckling (British leafminers).

Silvery, upper-surface, epidermal tentiform mine, centered over the midrib or a heavy lateral vein. Unlike P. leucographella, with which this species shares some host plants, the upper epidermis looks dirty by the presence of numerous fine black-brown specks of frass. The epidermis remains without folds until the mine becomes strongly contrated. Young mines look like a streak of silver on top of a vein (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Mine of Phyllonorycter corylifoliella on Crataegus monogyna Image: Willem Ellis (Nederlandse bladmineerders)
Mine of Phyllonorycter corylifoliella on Crataegus monogyna
Image: Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

The mine is also described and illustrated in UKMoths.

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Phyllonorycter cydoniella (Denis and Schiffermüller, 1775) [Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae]

 

Leaf-mine: The mine is an underside, strongly creased blister, causing a distinct pucker in the upperside of the leaf (UKMoths).

Difficult to distinguish between P. cydoniella and P. blancardella on the basis of mine characteristics - both form arched tubes on the leaf of M. sylvestris. P. cydoniella tends to make the larger mine on M. sylvestris and the pupa is in a cocoon, with frass to one side (British leafminers).

Elongated, lower surface, tentiform mine with one strong fold in the lower epidermis. Pupa in a white cocoon, in which no frass in incorporated; all frass in a clump in the mine. Before ecdysis the pupa works itself out of the mine through the floor in the mine (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Mines of Phyllonorycter cydoniella on Malus sylvestris Images: Willem Ellis (Nederlandse bladmineerders)

Mines of Phyllonorycter cydoniella on Malus sylvestris
Images: Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

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Phyllonorycter mespilella (Hübner, 1805) [Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae]

 

Leaf-mine: Lower-surface, yellow-green tentiform mine, 20-32 mm long, with a number of fine folds in the lower epidermis. In most cases the mine is elongate, situated between two lateral veins. The reddish to chestnut brown pupa lies in a flimsy cocoon in which no frass is incorporated: the frass is stored not in a clump but in a row of loose grains behind the cocoon. Just before edcysis the pupa works itself out of the mine through the lower wall; mostly the empty exuvium sticks halfway out of the mine (Bladmineerders van Europa.

 

Mine of Phyllonorycter mespilella. Image: Rob Edmunds (british leafminers)

Mine of Phyllonorycter mespilella
Image: Rob Edmunds (british leafminers)

The mine is also illustrated in British leafminers.

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Recurvaria nanella (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) [Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae]

 

Leaf-mine: The young larva mines the leaves of its foodplant then hibernates. It will then mines leaves or flowerbuds, then blossom or leaves (British leafminers).

Branched, sometimes stellate, brownish, very transparent, sometimes long corridor that contains no frass. All frass is ejected through a number of tiny openings that generally are close to a vein. Only the young larvae are miners (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Mine of Recurvaria nanella Image: Ian Thirlwell (British leafminers)
Mine of Recurvaria nanella
Image: Ian Thirlwell (British leafminers)

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Rhamphus oxycanthae (Marsham, 1802) [Coleoptera: Curculionidae]

 

Leaf-mine: Usually a very small (but see below), pear-shaped, upper-surface blotch, most of it stuffed with reddish-brown frass. Often several mines in a leaf. Ovipisition is already in May, but the larvae hatch late and initially develop very slowly; only against the end of summer the mines become apparent. The larvae remain the the mine and hibernate in the fallen leaves. The bright-coloured frass and their large number makes these mines very conspicuous in autumn, despite their small size. The weevils feed pinhole-sized windows in the leaf upperside (maturation feeding) (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Mines of Rhamphus oxyacanthae on Crataegus monogyna Images: Willem Ellis (Nederlandse bladmineerders)

Mines of Rhamphus oxyacanthae on Crataegus monogyna
Images: Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

The mine is also described and illustrated in British leafminers.

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Stigmella hybnerella (Hübner, 1813) [Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae]

 

Leaf-mine: The frass linear in early gallery, widening to blotch with dispersed frass (British leafminers).

Oviposition at random point of the leaf, either at upper- or lower-surface. First a quite slender corridor is made, with a relatively broad, continuous, frass line, that always leaves a clear margin at either side; the corridor winds freely through the leaf. This initial corridor often abruptly changes in direction, widens into a blotch that mostly lie along the leaf margin. Pupation outside the mine (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Mine of Stigmella hybnerella on Crataegus monogyna Image: Willem Ellis (Nederlandse bladmineerders)

Mine of Stigmella hybnerella on Crataegus monogyna
Image: Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

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Stigmella magdalenae (Klimesch, 1950) [Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae]

 

Leaf-mine: A long thin linear gallery with frass in a thin line, sometimes broken. This distinguishes it form S.nylandriella, which never has linear frass throughout the mine. The gallery of S.magadalenae is also narrower than S.nylandriella. S. magdalenae can both be an edge miner or make a small mine in the leaf blade, or run along a vein (British leafminers).

Egg at the underside of the leaf, independent of the venation. The corridor is narrow from start to end, and compressed on a small space, sometimes following the leaf margin for a while, more often along a major vein. Frass in a narrow, regularly interrupted central line. In thick leaves the frass line is broader, and the corridor is shorter (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Mines of Stigmella magdalenae on Sorbus aucuparia Image: Willem Ellis (Nederlandse bladmineerders)
Mines of Stigmella magdalenae on Sorbus aucuparia
Image: Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

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Stigmella mespilicola (Frey, 1856) [Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae]

 

Leaf-mine: Rather short, full dpeth, gradually widening corridor, the last section suddenly widenened still a bit more into an elongated blotch. Frass in a central line, about 1/3 of the width of the corridor. Pupation outside the mine (Bladmineerders van Europa).

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Stigmella oxyacanthella (Stainton, 1854) [Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae]

 

Leaf-mine: The reddish frass is linear, later in arcs, finally dispersed (British leafminers).

Long corridor, that widens only little, and winds freely through the leaf, not influenced by the venation. In thick, sun-exposed leaves the mine may be much shorter, especially in Cotoneaster, Malus and Pyrus. Frass brown, in arcs. (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Mine of Stigmella oxyacanthella on Crataegus monogyna Image: Willem Ellis (Nederlandse bladmineerders)
Mine of Stigmella oxyacanthella on Crataegus monogyna
Image: Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

The mine is also illustrated in UKMoths.

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Stigmella sorbi (Stainton, 1861) [Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae]

 

Leaf-mine: A narrow gallery leads abruptly to large blotch (British leafminers).

Oviposition on the leaf underside. The mine begins as a very slender winding corridor of 15-20 mm, the second part of which is almost stuffed with frass. The corridor abruptly widens into a blotch with dispersed frass; in large leaves this blotch is almost circular. Mostly the midrib is not crossed, but the mine can occupy the major part of a leaflet. Often several mines in leaf (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Mine of Stigmella sorbi on Sorbus aucuparia Image: Willem Ellis (Nederlandse bladmineerders)
Mine of Stigmella sorbi on Sorbus aucuparia
Image: Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

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Last updated 27-Jul-2010  Brian Pitkin

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