Incurvaria pectinea Haworth, 1828
[Lepidoptera: Incurvariidae]


Incurvaria pectinea Haworth, 1828. Lep. Brit.: 559.
Tinea zinckenii Zeller, 1839.


Leaf-mine: The larva starts making a corridor of a few mm, followed, and mostly overrun, by a circular blotch of 4-5 mm diameter (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Generally several larvae feed in a single leaf, creating a distinctive pattern of feeding windows. The larvae then cut out circular cases and drop to the leaf-litter to continue feeding, leaving behind a leaf containing many circular or oval cut-outs (UKMoths).

The mine is also illustrated in British leafminers.

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

Pupa: Details unknown.

Adult: The adult is illustrated in UKMoths. The male genitalia, but not the female genitalia (check for update), are illustrated by the Lepidoptera Dissection Group. The ovipositor comb of pectinea is illustrated in British leafminers alongside oehmanniella and masculella.

Adult of Incurvaria pectinea
Cardiff, Glamorgan
Image: © David Slade (UKMoths)

Hosts in Britain:

Betulaceae      
Alnus glutinosa Alder Pitkin and Plant
Alnus glutinosa Alder Heath and Pelham-Clinton, 1983a
Betula     British leafminers
Betula     Pitkin and Plant
Betula     UKMoths
Betula pendula Silver Birch Heath and Pelham-Clinton, 1983a
Betula pubescens Downy Birch Heath and Pelham-Clinton, 1983a
Carpinus     British leafminers
Corylus     UKMoths
Corylus avellana Hazel Heath and Pelham-Clinton, 1983a
Corylus avellana Hazel Pitkin and Plant
Rosaceae      
Malus     British leafminers
Malus     UKMoths
Malus sylvestris Crab Apple Pitkin and Plant
Tiliaceae      
Tilia cordata Small-leaved Lime British leafminers (Newletter 4)
Tilia cordata Small-leaved Lime Pitkin and Plant

Hosts elsewhere:

Aceraceae      
Acer monspessulanum Montpellier Maple Bladmineerders van Europa
Betulaceae      
Alnus glutinosa Alder Bladmineerders van Europa
Alnus incana Grey Alder Bladmineerders van Europa
Betula pendula Silver Birch Bladmineerders van Europa
Betula pubescens Downy Birch Bladmineerders van Europa
Carpinus betulus Hornbeam Bladmineerders van Europa
Corylus avellana Hazel Bladmineerders van Europa
Ostrya carpinifolia   Bladmineerders van Europa
Cornaceae      
Cornus sanguinea Dogwood Bladmineerders van Europa
Fabaceae      
Robinia pseudoacacia False-acacia Bladmineerders van Europa
Rosaceae      
Malus sylvestris Crab Apple Bladmineerders van Europa
Prunus     Bladmineerders van Europa
Pyrus communis Pear Bladmineerders van Europa
Sorbus     Bladmineerders van Europa

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

Time of year - adults: Flying in April and May (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widely distributed throughout much of the British Isles, (UKMoths) including Banff, Caernarvonshire, Derbyshire, East Cornwall, East Kent, East Norfolk, East Ross, East Suffolk, East Sutherland, Easterness, Elgin, Flintshire, Glamorgan, Herefordshire, Kincardine, North Aberdeen, North Devon, North Essex, North Wiltshire, Shropshire, South Aberdeen, South Devon, South Hampshire, South Wiltshire, South-west Yorkshire, Stafford, Warwickshire, West Gloucestershire, 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) and Northern Ireland (Karsholt and van Nieukerken in Fauna Europaea).

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 Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Italian mainland, Kaliningrad Region, Latvia, Lithuania, ? Luxembourg, Macedonia, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Romania, Russia - Central, East, North and Northwest, Slovakia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands (Karsholt and van Nieukerken in Fauna Europaea).

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

Acer monspessulanum, Alnus glutinosa, Alnus incana, Betula pendula, Betula pubescens, Carpinus betulus, Cornus sanguinea, Corylus avellana, Malus sylvestris, Ostrya carpinifolia, Pyrus communis, Robinia pseudoacacia, Tilia cordata

Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: Unknown.



External links: Search the internet:
Belgian Lepidoptera
Biodiversity Heritage Library
Bladmineerders van Europa
British leafminers (Newletter 4)
Encyclopedia of Life
Fauna Europaea
NBN Gateway
UKMoths
Find using Google
Find using Google Scholar
Find images using Google


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Last updated 25-Jan-2012  Brian Pitkin Top of page