• HOME
• About
  • Acknowledgements
  • Introduction
  • Methods
  • Morphology
  • Recent Changes
• Checklists
• Genus Index
• Species Index
• Keys
  • By Host Plant Genus
  • By Host Plant Common Name
  • To Liromyza species in Glasshouse and/or Quarantine Interceptions
• Parasitoids
• References
• Resources
• Search

Leaf-miner: A gallery with frass partly dispersed, but sometimes in a thin line (as S. alnetella). The moths must be bred through to distinguish between this and S.alnetella (British leafminers).

Oviposition at the leaf underside. Then a full depth, fairly slender corridor, often several in a leaf. Frass line very variable, sometimes coiled, mostly more than on third of the width of the corridor. Pupation outside the mine (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).

Yellow, with a grey-brown patch on the prosternum (Johansson et al., 1990a). The larva mines venter-upwards (Emmet, 1983a). Abdominal segment 1 ventrally not spinulose (Johansson et al., 1990a) (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Pupa: The pupae of moths have visible head appendages, wings and legs which lie in sheaths (see examples).

Adult: NThe adult is not illustrated in UKMoths (check for update). The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Betulaceae
Alnus	cordata	Italian Alder		Pitkin & Plant
Alnus	glutinosa	Alder		British leafminers
Alnus	glutinosa	Alder		Pitkin & Plant

Hosts elsewhere:

Betulaceae
Alnus	cordata	Italian Alder		Bladmineerders van Europa
Alnus	glutinosa	Alder		Belgian Lepidoptera
Alnus	glutinosa	Alder		Bladmineerders van Europa
Alnus	incana	Grey Alder		Bladmineerders van Europa
Alnus	subcordata			Bladmineerders van Europa
Alnus	viridis	Green Alder		Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - larvae: July, September - October (British leafminers).

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespread in Britain including Bedfordshire, Caernarvonshire, Denbighshire, Derbyshire, East Cornwall, East Kent, East Suffolk, East Sutherland, Glamorgan, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Isle of Wight, Middlesex, Monmouthshire, North Essex, North Hampshire, Shropshire, South Aberdeenshire, South Essex, South Hampshire, South Wiltshire, Stafford, Surrey, 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, Corsica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Portuguese mainland, Romania, Russia - Central, Sardinia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Ukraine and Yugoslavia (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: