Seq # 185330310

Phyllonorycter maestingella (Müller, 1764) Species

Last modified: April 28, 2022, 7:48 p.m.


A common and widespread species in Belgium, present in all provinces.


Details

Classification
Family: Gracillariidae > Subfamily: Lithocolletinae > Genus: Phyllonorycter > Species: Phyllonorycter maestingella
Vernacular names
Beukenvouwmot (NL), Beech midget (EN)
Synonyms
Phyllonorycter faginella (Zeller, 1846)
First mention in Belgium
De Fré Ch. 1858. Catalogue des Microlépidoptères de la Belgique. — Annales de la Société entomologique belge 2: 45–162. On page 156 (as faginella). view page
Status

Native


Distribution


Imago

Head brown; forewing ground colour brown, white pattern consisting of a straight basal line, a patch near the base at dorsum, four costal and three dorsal striae, all finely edged with dark brown scales; a dark brown patch in the apical area.

Museum specimens

No pictures yet!

Specimens in nature


Genitalia


Caterpillar

First instars whitish green, later on yellowish.

No pictures yet!

Mine

At first a short (max. 7 mm) blotch mine along the vein where the egg was oviposited, then growing into a long tentiform mine reaching from the main vein till the leaf margin. Some longitudinal folds close to each other. Frass is concentrated in a corner of the mine.
See also gracillariidae.net and bladmineerders.be.


Cocoon/pupa

A loose, white, silken cocoon at the opposite side of the mine than where the frass is concentrated. Pupa brown till blackish.

No pictures yet!

Bionomics

The egg is oviposited close to a vein on the underside of a leaf.
Pupation inside the silken cocoon. The species hibernates in the pupal stage, in the fallen leaf among leaf litter on the ground. The pupal skin is protruding through the mine after emergence of the adult.

No pictures yet!

Flight periods

Two generations a year: end of April till early June and July–August.


Observed on

Host plant (species):
Fagus sylvatica

The species is monophagous on Fagus sylvatica.


Habitat

Beech forests, parks, hedge rows aligned with Fagus.

No pictures yet!