Acrolepia autumnitella Curtis, 1838
[Lepidoptera: Acrolepiidae]


Tortrix pygmeana Haworth, 1811.
Acrolepia autumnitella Curtis, 1838. Brit. Ent. 15: 679.
Haemilis lefebvriella Duponchel, 1838. Hist. Nat. Lep. 11: t. 290, fig. 11.
Roeslerstammia heleniella Zeller, 1839. Isis: 203.
Tinea submontana Osthelder, 1951. Beilage Mitt. münchen ent. Ges. 41: 241.


Leaf-mine: The larvae forms large whitish or translucent blotches (UKMoths).

Rather large, untidy blotch, full-depth for most of its surface, very transparent, without feeding lines and without association with midrib or leaf margin. The larva makes several mines. Often only its anterior part is inserted in the mine, that remains free of frass then. Pupation outside the mine in a silk cocoon (Bladmineerders van Europa).

The mine is also illustrated in British leafminers.

Larva: The larva is illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa, British leafminers and UKMoths.

Pupa: The pupa is illustrated in British leafminers and UKMoths and is formed in a cocoon fashioned from a network of silk.

Adult: The adult is illustrated in UKMoths. The male and female genitalia are illustrated by the Lepidoptera Dissection Group.

Adullt of Acrolepia autumnitella from larva found in Solanum dulcimaria in August. Flintshire
Image: © Ian Smith (UKMoths)

Hosts in Britain:

Solanaceae      
Atropa belladona Deadly Nightshade British leafminers
Atropa belladona Deadly Nightshade Plant in Pitkin and Plant 2005
Solanum dulcamara Bittersweet British leafminers
Solanum dulcamara Bittersweet Plant in Pitkin and Plant 2005

Hosts elsewhere:

Solanaceae      
Atropa     Bladmineerders van Europa
Atropa belladona Deadly Nightshade Belgian Lepidoptera
Physalis alkekengi   Bladmineerders van Europa
Solanum dulcamara Bittersweet Belgian Lepidoptera
Solanum dulcamara Bittersweet Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - larvae: June, September (British leafminers).

Time of year - adults: The adults generally emerge in two generations, firstly in July and then in October, the second brood overwintering in this stage (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: A small inconspicuous species, distributed mainly in the southern half of England, with a few scattered records further north, although it is probably overlooked (UKMoths); Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Denbighshire, Derbyshire, East Kent, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, East Sussex, Flintshire, Glamorgan, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Isle Of Wight, Middlesex, North Essex, North Hampshire, North Somerset, North Wiltshire, Pembrokeshire, Shropshire, South Lancaster, South Somerset, South Wiltshire, Stafford, Warwickshire, West Gloucestershire, West Kent, West Norfolk, West Suffolk and Worcestershire (NBN Gateway - N.B. includes Watsonian Vice Counties having publicly available records that fall within or overlap the vice county border at 10km resolution or better i.e. a record for a vice county may relate to an adjacent vice county - for included datasets see NBN Grid map below). Also Yardley Chase, Northants (British leafminers).

NBN Grid map: Note that not all datasets on the NBN Gateway may be available on the map below. If you are an NBN Gateway registered user you can request access for missing datasets via the link 'Open interactive map in new window' below.

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Corsica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Poland, Portuguese mainland, Romania, Russia - Central, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Yugoslavia (Karsholt and van Nieukerken in Fauna Europaea).

NBN interactive distribution map(s) of known host species in Great Britain and Ireland and elsewhere:

Atropa belladona, Solanum dulcamara

Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: Unknown.



External links: Search the internet:
Belgian Lepidoptera
Biodiversity Heritage Library
Bladmineerders van Europa
Encyclopedia of Life
British leafminers
Fauna Europaea
NBN Gateway
UKMoths
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Last updated 27-Jan-2012  Brian Pitkin Top of page