British Insects: the Genus Phyllonorycter (Lepidoptera-Gracillariidae)
British Insects: the Genus Phyllonorycter (Lepidoptera-Gracillariidae) | |
Associated with herbs. On Dipsacaceae; Scabiosa columbaria (said to prefer lower leaves and seedlings).
Larvae. The larvae mining in leaves; in the under-side. Found in August, or October to December, or January to April (hibernating).
Adults. Antennae white to the base (grey-ringed). Face shining grey. Head orange. Thorax cinnamon brown.
Wing-span 6–8 mm. Forewings shining golden ochreous, or golden brown; with a well defined basal streak (this straight, short and traversing less than a quarter of the wing). The basal streak pale; dark-edged above. Forewings with well defined pale strigulae (white, paired). Costal strigulae 4. Dorsal strigulae 3. Forewings with the first costal strigula not forming an acute angle with a dorsal one; with two transverse pale fasciae (via coalescence of the first pair of strigulae, at least the outer one somewhat bent in the region of their joining). Hindwing cilia brownish fuscous.
Adults abroad in May, or August to September.
Miscellaneous. • P. scabiosella on Scabiosa columbaria.
To view the illustrations with detailed captions, go to the interactive key. This also offers full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. British insects: the genus Phyllonorycter (Lepidoptera-Gracillariidae). Version: 13th June 2008. http://delta-intkey.com’.
