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Caloptilia falconipennella (Hübner, 1813) [Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae]. Tinea falconipennella Hübner, 1813. Samml. Europ. Schmett.: fig. 317. Caloptilia falconipennella (Hübner, 1813).

Leaf-mine: Initially in short gallery becoming a brownish blotch near the leaf margin. Later in two or three Parornix-like folds at the edge of the leaf (British leafminers). Small (up to 10 mm long), lower-surface blotch near the leaf margin, with a brownish lower epidermis. The mine in fact is a tentiform mine, but so little silk is produced that the blotch hardly contracts at all. The mine is preceded by a quite short corridor, that is overrun by the later blotch. The older larva leaves its mine and starts feeding under a flap of the leaf margin that is folded down and fixed with silk on the blade underside. Two or three such folds are made, not necessarily on the same leaf. The fact that no leaf rolls are made, but parts of the leaf are folded down rather makes one think of the work of a Parornix (Bladmineerders van Europa). Mines of Caloptilia falconipennella on Alnus Image: Ian Thirlwell (British leafminers) Larva: Whitish with pale brown head (Bladmineerders van Europa). Pupa: Under a turned over leaf edge (British leafminers). Adult: Not illustrated in UKMoths (check for update). The male genitalia, but not the female genitalia (check for update), are illustrated by the Lepidoptera Dissection Group. Hosts in Britain: Betulaceae       Alnus cordata Italian Alder British leafminers Alnus cordata Italian Alder Pitkin & Plant Alnus glutinosa Alder British leafminers Alnus glutinosa Alder Pitkin & Plant Alnus incana Grey Alder Pitkin & Plant Hosts elsewhere: Betulaceae       Alnus glutinosa Alder Bladmineerders van Europa Time of year - larvae: July - August (British leafminers). Time of year - adults: Unknown. Distribution in Great Britain & Ireland: British Is. including Hants (Fleet, Portsmouth and Emsworth) (British leafminers), Dunbarton, Hereford, South Hants, Stirling, Surrey and West Kent (NBN Gateway distribution map - NE and SNH). See also British leafminers distribution map. Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland (Karsholt & van Nieukerken in Fauna Europaea). NBN Grid map: Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in Europe including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Portuguese mainland, Romania, Russia - Central, Northwest and South, Sardinia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Ukraine (Karsholt & van Nieukerken in Fauna Europaea). NBN interactive distribution maps of known host species in Britain and elsewhere: Alnus cordata, Alnus glutinosa, Alnus incana Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: Unknown.

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Belgian Lepidoptera British leafminers NBN Gateway Bladmineerders van Europa Fauna Europaea UKMoths	Find using Google Find using Google Scholar Find images using Google

Last updated 13-Aug-2010  Brian Pitkin