| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genus Phyllonorycter (Lepidoptera-Gracillariidae) |
Associated with trees. On Carpinaceae (rarely), Fagaceae; Carpinus (rarely), native (deciduous) Quercus (sometimes), Quercus ilex (evergreen) (usually).
Larvae. The larvae mining in leaves; in the under-side. Found in March to April, or July, or September to October. The larva pupating in a morphologically distinct cocoon (this flimsy), or not constructing a definite cocoon.
Pupa. The pupal cremaster with two pairs of hooked processes; two pairs of cremastal processes very unequal in length (the inner pair shorter).
Adults. Antennae coloured (pale fuscous, banded somewhat darker). Face white. Head yellow. Thorax light golden brown, or yellow. Wing-span 8–10 mm. Forewings light golden ochreous; not clear shining white; with a well defined basal streak (this narrow, reaching almost to the middle). The basal streak pale; dark-edged above. Forewings with well defined pale strigulae. Costal strigulae 4; faintly pale yellow. Dorsal strigulae 4. Forewings with the first costal strigula approaching a dorsal one at an acute angle; without transverse pale fasciae. Forewings with conspicuous dark apical marking. Forewing apical marking comprising a round blackish apical spot. The forewing fringe narrowly dark-lined along the tips of the apical cilia. Hindwing cilia fuscous. Posterior tarsi with dark spots (each segment black marked above). The left and right male genital valvae with the bodies deeply lobed (interpretable as very asymmetrically so, with a small lobe on the hind margin).
The left and right male genital valvae very dissimilar (the right linear-elongate, the left medianly broadened). The left male genital valva not spine-tipped (but with a short curved spine costal-marginally near the apex); with a single costal-marginal spine towards the apex (the left one having two). The left and right male genital valvae without free costae. The aedeagus long and relatively slender with a triangular barb towards the apex. The female genitalia exhibiting a signum on the bursa copulatrix (with two points at either end).
Adults abroad May, August, and November.
Illustrations. • Phyllonorycter messaniella: Jacobs (1945). • 9 species on deciduous oak. 1, Phyllonorycter (Lithocolletis) roboris; 2, P. harrisella; 3, P. heegeriella; 4, P. messaniella (and on other Fagaceae); 5, P. quercifoliella; 6, P. distentella; 7, P. lautella; 8, P. muelleriella; 9, P. kuhlweiniella. • British Phyllonorycter (Lithocolletis: 49 species). A1, Phyllonorycter roboris; A2, P. harrisella; A3, P. tenerella; A4, A. heegeriella; A5, P. MESSANIELLA; A6, P. quercifoliella; A7, P. "alnifoliella" Dup. , = P. strigulatella? B1, P. distentella; B2, P. scopariella; B3, P. ulicicolella; B4, P. quinnata; B5, P. coryli; B6, P. maestingella; B7, P. spinicolella. C1, P. cerasicolella; C2, P. sorbi; C3, and C4, P. mespilella; C5 and C6, P. blancardella; C7, P. oxyacanthae. D1, P. lantanella; D2, P. quinqueguttella; D3, P. junoniella; D4, P. salicicolella; D5, P. viminetorum; D6, P. cavella; D7, P. hilarella. E1, P. ulmifoliella; E2, P. anderidae; E3, P. nigrescentella; E4, P. insignitella; E5, P. lautella; E6, P. schreberella; E7, P. trifasciella. F1, P. emberizaepenella; F2, P. scabiosella; F3, P. tristrigella; F4, P. stettinensis; F5, P. froelichiella; F6, P. nicellii; F7, P. kleemannella. G1, P. salictella ssp. viminiella; G2, P. corylifoliella; G3, P. comparella; G4, P. muelleriella; G5, P. kuhlweiniella; G6, P. acerifoliella; G7, P. geniculella. From Jacobs (1945). • P. acerifoliella (as sylvella), P. messaniella and P. ulmifoliella: Stainton (1855) Plate VI, under Lithocolletis. PYLLONORYCTER. 1, P. acerifoliella: imago (1m), larva (1a), and mined Acer leaf (1b). 2, P. messaniella: imago (2m), larva (2a) and mined leaf of evergreen oak (2b). 3, P. ulmifoliella: imago (3m), larva (3a) and mined birch leaf (3b). • Stainton (1855), Plate VI: original legend.. • Phyllonorycter messaniella (specimens): photo. Phyllonorycter messaniella. 20/5/56, Hillswod, Leek, Staffs. L. Watson. • Phyllonorycter messaniella, genitalia: Pierce and Metcalfe (1935).
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, 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. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genus Phyllonorycter (Lepidoptera-Gracillariidae) Version: 14th April 2022. delta-intkey.com’.
