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

 

Ectoedemia intimella (Zeller, 1848)
[Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae]

Black-spot Sallow Pigmy


Nepticula intimella Zeller, 1848. Linn. Ent. 3: 323.
Ectoedemia intimella
(Zeller, 1848).


Gall and Leaf-miner: A gall in the leaf petiole, later the mine is in the leaf-blade, in a 'green island' (British leafminers). Check fallen leaves.

The egg lies on top of the midrib (rarely a thick lateral vein), mostly c. one cm below the visible part of the mine, generally not far from the base of the leaf. The larva at first hollows the midrib (on the second picture from the top the far right, darkened, part of the midrib has been mined out). Only in its last stage the larva leaves the midrib and makes a triangular blotch, adjacent to the midrib. When the larva isn't yet too large it retreats into the midrib during feeding pauses. Partly caused by these movements the frass usually lies in two stripes in a V-pattern, parallel to the sides of the blotch. The mines often are found in yellowed leaves in green islands, often in already Fallén leaves (Bladmineerders van Europa).

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).

Pale yellow with a light brown head (British leafminers). The larva is also illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa.

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. The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Salicaceae        
Salix aurita Eared Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Salix caprea Goat Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Salix caprea Goat Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Salix cinerea Grey Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Salix cinerea Grey Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Salix euxina or fragilis Crack-willow or Hybrid Carck-willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Salix pentandra Bay Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Salix phylicifolia Tea-leaved Willow   British leafminers

Hosts elsewhere:

Salicaceae        
Salix       Belgian Lepidoptera
Salix aurita Eared Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Salix babylonica Weeping Crack-willow   Bladmineerders van Europa
Salix caprea Goat Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Salix caprea Goat Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Salix cinerea Grey Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Salix cinerea Grey Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Salix dasyclados     Bladmineerders van Europa
Salix x fragilis Hybrid Carck-willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Salix euxina or x fragilis Crack-willow or Hybrid Carck-willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Salix pentandra Bay Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Salix pentandra Bay Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Salix phylicifolia Tea-leaved Willow   Bladmineerders van Europa
Salix viminalis Osier British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - larvae: July - November (British leafminers).

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Britain including Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Dorset, Durham, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, Glamorgan, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Isle of Wight, North Essex, North Hampshire, Shropshire, South Hampshire, South Wiltshire, South-west Yorkshire, Stafford, Warwickshire, West Gloucestershire, West Kent, West Norfolk, West Suffolk and Worcestershire (NBN Atlas).

See also British leafminers distribution map.

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

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Italian mainland, Kaliningrad Region, Latvia, Lithuania, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Romania, Russia - Central, North and Northwest, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Ukraine and Yugoslavia (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Salix aurita, Salix babylonica, Salix caprea, Salix cinerea, Salix fragilis, Salix pentandra, Salix phylicifolia, Salix viminalis

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Mirax rufilabris Haliday, 1833 Braconidae: Miracinae


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

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Last updated 11-Jul-2019  Brian Pitkin Top of page