The leaf and stem  mines of British flies and other insects by Brian Pitkin, Willem Ellis, Colin Plant and Rob Edmunds.


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Mompha langiella (Hübner, 1796)
[Lepidoptera: Momphidae]
.


Tinea langiella Hübner, 1796
Alucita epilobiella
Römer, 1794. Berl. Schwi. Ger. natruf. 11: 162
Mompha fulicella
Herrich-Schäffer, 1854
Elachista niveipunctella
Stainton, 1849. Schmett. Europ.: 966.
Adela unipunctella
Duponchel, in Godart 1839.
Mompha langiella
(Hübner, 1796).


Leaf-mine: A narrow contorted gallery leading to a whitish blotch with scattered frass centrally. The early gallery can merge with the blotch and there are often several to a leaf (British leafminers).

The larva begins by making a full depth corridor, erratic in width and course; frass black, in an irregular central line. Later the larva makes a blotch, with frass in irregular clouds. This blotch can be a continuation of the corridor, but may just as well be on a different leaf. Often several mines in a leaf; in such cases the entire leaf me be mined out. Mines white at first, turning brown later. The larva lies venter-upwards in the mine. Pupation external Bladmineerders van Europa).

Mine of Mompha langiella on Chamerion angustifolium Image: Willem Ellis (Nederlandse bladmineerders)
Mine of Mompha langiella on Chamerion angustifolium
Image: Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

The mine is also described and illustrated in UKMoths.

Larva: The larva is light yellow, with darker thoracic legs (British leafminers). The larva is also described and illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa.

Pupa: Occasionally in a mined leaf or in a cocoon between the leaves or on the leaves (British leafminers).

Adult: The adult is illustrated in UKMoths. The female genitalia, but not the male genitalia (check for update), are illustrated by the Lepidoptera Dissection Group.

Hosts in Britain:

Onagraceae      
Circaea lutetiana Enchanter's-nightshade British leafminers
Circaea lutetiana Enchanter's-nightshade UKMoths
Circaea lutetiana Enchanter's-nightshade Pitkin & Plant
Epilobium     UKMoths
Epilobium hirsutum Great Willowherb British leafminers
Epilobium hirsutum Great Willowherb Pitkin & Plant
Epilobium montanum Broad-leaved Willowherb British leafminers
Epilobium montanum Broad-leaved Willowherb Pitkin & Plant
Epilobium parviflorum Broad-leaved Willowherb Pitkin & Plant

Hosts elsewhere:

Onagraceae      
Chamerion angustifolium Rosebay Willowherb Bladmineerders van Europa
Circaea x intermedia Upland Enchanter's-nightshade Bladmineerders van Europa
Circaea lutetiana Enchanter's-nightshade Bladmineerders van Europa
Epilobium hirsutum Great Willowherb Bladmineerders van Europa
Epilobium montanum Broad-leaved Willowherb Bladmineerders van Europa
Epilobium montanum Broad-leaved Willowherb

Bladmineerders van Europa, as Epilobium collinum

Epilobium parviflorum Hoary Willowherb Bladmineerders van Europa

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

Time of year - adults: Unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain & Ireland: Distributed locally in southern and western England and Wales, there are also scattered records from further north (UKMoths) including Cambridge, Denbigh, East Kent, Hereford, Monmouth, North Devon, North Hants, Salop, South Lancaster, South Somerset, South Wilts, South-west York, Surrey, West Cornwall, West Kent and West Suffolk (NBN Gateway distribution map - BRERC, GiGL, JNCC and SHWRG). See also British leafminers distribution map.

Also recorded in Republic of Ireland (UKMoths; Karsholt & van Nieukerken in Fauna Europaea).

NBN Grid map:

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in Europe including Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Russia - Central, Slovakia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Ukraine (Karsholt & van Nieukerken in Fauna Europaea).

NBN interactive distribution maps of known host species in Britain and elsewhere:

Chamerion angustifolium, Circaea x intermedia, Circaea lutetiana, Epilobium hirsutum, Epilobium montanum, Epilobium parviflorum

Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: Unknown.



External links: Search the internet:

Belgian Lepidoptera
British leafminers
NBN Gateway
Bladmineerders van Europa
Fauna Europaea
UKMoths

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Last updated 27-Aug-2010  Brian Pitkin