| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genus Phyllonorycter (Lepidoptera-Gracillariidae) |
Associated with shrubs. On Salicaceae; Salix (mainly sallows, S. caprea and S. cinerea).
Larvae. The larvae mining in leaves; in the under-side. Found in July, or September to October. The larva pupating in a morphologically distinct cocoon.
Pupa. The pupal cremaster with one pair of hooked processes; cremastal processes long and thin (cf. those of P. viminetorum).
Adults. Face white. Head fuscous. Thorax brassy golden brown; shining-metallic to not shining-metallic; somewhat brassy; with a conspicuous median pale streak to without a median pale streak. Wing-span 8–10 mm. Forewings golden ochreous; not clear shining white; with a well defined basal streak (this sinuous, traversing about quarter of the wing). The basal streak pale; sinuous; not dark-edged above. Forewings with well defined pale strigulae (these set in pairs, white becoming slightly brassy outwards). Costal strigulae 4. The first costal strigula not basipetally extended along the costa. Dorsal strigulae 3, or 4. Forewings with the first costal strigula approaching a dorsal one at an acute angle; with one transverse pale fascia (via the first pair of strigulae), or without transverse pale fasciae (the fascia usually narrowly interrupted on the angle). The fascia (or the interrupted fascia) angulated. Forewings with conspicuous dark apical marking. Forewing apical marking comprising an elongate blackish apical spot to comprising a dark apical strigula. The forewing fringe narrowly dark-lined along the bases of the cilia. The forewing basal fringe line complete to confined to the apical region or fading dorsally (or at least weak thereafter). Hindwing cilia light fuscous.
The left and right male genital valvae very dissimilar (the same length and both oblong with a short spine towards the apex, but the right much narrower). The left male genital valva retrorsely tipped by a hooked spine. 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 obscurely exhibiting a signum on the bursa copulatrix.
Adults abroad May and August.
Illustrations. • 5 species on Salix in Britain. 1, Phyllonorycter (Lithocolletis) salicolella; 2, P. quinqueguttella; 3, P. hilarella; 4, P. salictella viminiella; 5, P. viminetorum. See notes for legend. • Phyllonorycter salicicolella: Ian Kimber (2018), UKmoths https://ukmoths.org.uk/. • Phyllonorycter salicicolella, mine in Salix: Ian Kimber (2018), UKmoths https://ukmoths.org.uk/. • P. salicolella (specimens): photo. Phyllonorycter salicolella. Mines Bagnall, Staffs., 26/10/52; emerged 3/4/53. R.G. Warren. • P. viminetorum, P. salicolella and P. salictella viminiella: Stainton (1855) Plate I, under Lithocolletis. PHYLLONORYCTER. 1, P. viminetorum: imago (1m), larva (1a), and mined leaf of Salix viminalis (1b). 2, P. salicolella: imago (2m), larva (2a), and mined leaf of Salix caprea (2b). 3, P. salictella viminiella: imago (3m), larva (3a), and mined leaf of Salix caprea (3b). • Stainton (1855), Plate I: original legend.. • Phyllonorycter salicicolella, 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’.
