Phyllonorycter joannisi (Le Marchand, 1936) Species
Last modified: Dec. 14, 2024, 4:07 p.m.
A rather common, though never plentiful, but a local species throughout Belgium.
Details
- Classification
- Family: Gracillariidae > Subfamily: Lithocolletinae > Genus: Phyllonorycter > Species: Phyllonorycter joannisi
- Vernacular names
- Noorse-esdoornvouwmot (NL), White-bodied midget (EN), Spitzahorn-Faltenminiermotte (DE)
- Synonyms
- Phyllonorycter platanoidella (de Joannis, 1920), nec (Braun, 1908)
- First mention in Belgium
- Dufrane A. 1942. Microlépidoptères de la faune belge, (1re note). — Bulletin du Musée royal d'Histoire naturelle de Belgique 18(5): 1–12. On page 9.
- Status
-
Native
Distribution
Imago
Head white; forewing ground color white, pattern consisting of light brown scales: three small costal and one small dorsal striae near the base, a transversal band before the middle of the wing, a chevron distally and two costal and 1 dorsal stria in the apical area.
Museum specimens
Specimens in nature
No pictures yet!Caterpillar
Yellowish with light brown head.
Mine
At first a rather small, semi-circular or oval tentiform mine on the underside of a leaf, later enlarged and with a series of fine longitudinal folds at the underside. The upper side of the mine shows a multitude of small white dots where the caterpillar has consumed the parenchyma. Only the last instar eats also the central green part way and then the mine is well visible from the upperside as a light green or whitish patch.
See also gracillariidae.net and bladmineerders.be.
Bionomics
The mine is seldom constructed near the margin of a leaf. Sometimes, several mines might occur on the same leaf.
Pupation inside the leaf. The species hibernates in the pupal stage, between leaf litter on the ground.
Flight periods
Two generations a year in May and August.
Habitat
Forests, but also parks and public gardens where Acer platanoides is planted as an ornamental tree.
