Bactra robustana [Lepidoptera: Tortricidae] in Leaf and stem mines of British flies and other insects

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

Bactra robustana (Christoph, 1872)
[Lepidoptera: Tortricidae]

Saltern Marble

Aphelia robustana Christoph, 1872. Hor. Soc. ent. Ross. 9: 13.
Bactra robustana (Christoph, 1872); Rebel, 1901. Cat. Lep. Pal. 2: 113.

Stem-borer: The larvae feed internally in the stems of sea club-rush (UKMoths).

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).

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

Adult: The adult is illustrated in UKMoths by Jon Baker. The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Cyperaceae
Bolboschoenus	maritimus	Sea Club-rush	UKMoths
Bolboschoenus (as Scirpus)	maritimus	Sea Club-rush	Pitkin & Plant

Hosts elsewhere: Currently unknown.

Time of year - larvae: Currently unknown.

Time of year - adults: June and July (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Saltmarshes around the coasts of southern and western England and Wales, including Camarthen, where it can be locally common (UKMoths); Cambridgeshire, Carmarthenshire, Denbighshire, Dorset, East Kent, East Suffolk, Glamorgan, Isle of Wight, Kirkudbrightshire, Merionethshire, North Devon, North Somerset, South Devon, South Essex, South Hampshire, South-east Yorkshire, Surrey, West Cornwall, West Gloucestershire, West Kent, West Norfolk and Westmorland (NBN Atlas).

Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland (Fauna Europaea and National Biodiversity Data Centre Map).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Malta, Norwegian mainland, Romania, Sardinia, Sicily, Slovakia, Spanish mainland, Sweden and The Netherlands (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Bolboschoenus maritimus

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	Find using Google Find using Google Scholar Find images using Google


	Last updated 25-Jun-2019 Brian Pitkin