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Leucoptera
malifoliella (O. Costa, 1836) Pear Leaf Blister Moth Elachista
malifoliella
O. Costa, 1836. Samml. Europ. Schmett.
Tinea 28: 195. |
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Leaf-miner: A circular or oval brownish blotch with a central spiral of dense blackish frass (British leafminers), sometimes several mines in one leaf (UKMoths). Oviposition is at the leaf underside, well away from the leaf margin; the egg has a fine reticulate surface. The mine is a rather large, perfectly circular blotch without a trace of a preceeding corridor. Around the dark centre the frass, glued to the upper epidermis is arranged in distinct arcs (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). The larva is pale green with a dark head (British leafminers). The larva is also illustrated in UKMoths and Bladmineerders van Europa. Pupa: The pupae of moths have visible head appendages, wings and legs which lie in sheaths (see examples). Pupation in a silken cocoon, usually on detritus (British leafminers). Described by Patocka (2000a) (Bladmineerders van Europa) and illustrated in the Encyclopedia of Life. Adult: The adult is illustrated in UKMoths. The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk. Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:
Hosts elsewhere: Time of year - larvae: August-September (British leafminers; UKMoths). Time of year - adults: The adult moths fly in June and July (UKMoths). Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespread in England and into southern Scotland including Anglesey, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Caernarvonshire, Cambridgeshire, Cardiganshire, Cheshire, Cumberland, Denbighshire, Dorset, Dumfriesshire, Dunbartonshire, Durham, East Kent, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, Flintshire, Glamorgan, Haddington, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Isle of Wight, Leicestershire, Merionethshire, Mid-west Yorkshire, Middlesex, Montgomeryshire, North Essex, North Hampshire, North Northumberland, North Wiltshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, South Northumberland, South-west Yorkshire, Stafford, Stirlingshire, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Cornwall, West Gloucestershire, West Norfolk, West Suffolk, Westmorland and Worcestershire (NBN Atlas). See also British leafminers distribution map. This species can be rather erratic in its occurrence and can be quite a difficult species to track down. In some years there is a population explosion when it appears commonly, but in between can be quite uncommon (UKMoths). Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland (Fauna Europaea). Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, European Turkey, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Greek mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Kaliningrad Region, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madeira, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Portuguese mainland, Romania, Russia - Central, East and Northwest, Slovakia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Ukraine and Yugoslavia (Fauna Europaea). NBN Atlas links to known host species: British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: |
| Last updated 11-Jul-2019 Brian Pitkin |  |
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