CISTUS. Rock-roses. [Cistaceae]

Eight species and subspecies of Cistus are recorded in Britain. All are introduced and include Hoary Rock-rose (C. incanus).

No Diptera miners are recorded on Cistus in Britain.

No non-Diptera miners are recorded on Cistus in Britain.

Elsewhere one British non-Diptera miner, Mompha miscella, is recorded on Cistus (see below).

A key to the European miners, based on characteristics of the mines, immature stages and where relevant the larval cases, recorded on Cistus is provided in Bladmineerders van Europa. This includes Apterona gracilis, Apterona helicinella, Apterona helicoidella, Apterona nylanderi, Coleophora bilineella, Coleophora confluella, Coleophora helianthemella, Crinopteryx familiella, Dicladispa testacea, Mompha miscella, Parafomoria cistivora, Parafomoria pseudocistivora, Paraformoria ladaniphila, Parafomoria liguricella, Perittia piperatella, Schistophila laurocistella and Urodeta hibernella.

Key for the identification of the mines of British
non-Diptera recorded on Cistus

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).

1 > Leaf-miner: Initially a gallery is made and filled with frass. It is widened abruptly into a blotch, which absorbs the gallery and may occupy the whole leaf. The frass may then be dispersed or heaped in the blotch. A larva may mine more than one leaf before it vacates the mine (UKMoths). Corridor, densely packed with frass, suddenly widening into a blotch that often occupies the entire width of the leaf, then overrunning the initial corridor. Frass in the blotch disersed or clumped. The larvae can leave the mine and restart elsewhere. Pupation outside the mine (Bladmineerders van Europa). Pupation in a silk cocoon among leaf litter (UKMoths; British leafminers).

Recorded on Helianthemum apenninum, Helianthemum canum, Helianthemum lanceolatum and Helianthemum nummularium, but not yet on Cistus, in Britain and Cistus, Helianthemum apenninum, Helianthemum canumand Helianthemum nummularium elsewhere. Widespread in Britain and elsewhere.

Mompha miscella (Denis and Schiffermüller, 1775) [Lepidoptera: Momphidae]