Eriocraniidae (May to July)
Nepticulidae
Ectoedemia (blotch mines)
1
Mine
on Evergreen Oak (Quercus ilex), highly contorted, November to
April. Pupa in a cocoon on upper surface of leaf [11-4]
Ectoedemia
heringella 36a
Larva
mining the green bark of small branches [9?-6]................................................either
...........................................................................................................................................or
(it is not possible to separate the mines of these two species).
Ectoedemia
atrifrontella 41
Mine
forming a slender gallery terminating in a blotch
2
2
Larva
mines in green leaves
3
Larva
mines in 'green islands', often in fallen leaves in late October
- November; the
early gallery generally follows a vein inwards towards the midrib, or follows
the midrib
4
3
Larva
mines August to early September, invariably near leaf edge forming
a blotch with two frass lines; larva green. So far only
found in Devon [8-9]
Ectoedemia
heckfordi 35a
Larva
mines from late August till early October; the early gallery
generally follows a vein outwards from the midrib forming a blotch;
larva white with very pale brown head [8-9]
Ectoedemia
albifasciella 37
4
Blotch
with a slit in the lower leaf epidermis, allowing some of the
frass to fall out;
larva head dark brown [10-11]
Ectoedemia
subbimaculella 38
Blotch
without a slit in the epidermis; larva head red-brown [10-11]
Ectoedemia
heringi 39
Gallery
highly contorted, occupying a small area, forming a false blotch;
larva with dark
ventral spots, feeding in a 'green island' often in fallen leaves in November
[10-11]
Ectoedemia
quinquella 36
Stigmella (gallery mines)
1
Mine
on Evergreen species
2
Mine
on Deciduous species
3
2
Mine with a broad irregular gallery with a wide
line of dark frass leaving narrow clear margins, larvae yellow
[7-8+11-4]
Stigmella
suberivora 85
Mine
sinuous in regular curves, filled with coiled greenish frass
difficult to see when fresh (frass turns brown with age); larvae
green [6-7+9-10]
Stigmella
basiguttella 89
3
Egg
on underside
4
Egg
on upperside usually away from margin
4
4
Mine
sinuous in regular curves, filled with coiled greenish frass
difficult to see when
fresh (frass turns brown with age); larvae green [6-7+9-10]
Stigmella
basiguttella 89
Mine
irregular; frass leaving clear margins, blackish; larvae yellow
5
5
Frass
dispersed in separated grains in middle part of course
6
Frass
forming a more or less continuous central line
7
6
Egg
laid beside a vein; early course of mine leading away from vein
more or less at right
angles; mine the largest of the oak feeding Stigmella's univoltine, [7-8
Stigmella
svenssoni 87
Egg
anywhere on leaf; early course variable; mine about the same
size as that of
Stigmella ruficapitella, frass more or less dispersed until last quarter of mine
when it forms a thin central line; bivoltine, [6-7+9-10]
Stigmella
samiatella 88
7
Mine
relatively short and broad; frass at first in a narrow central
line becoming dispersed in second half of
mine; larva with
dark sclerite plates on the prothorax [6-7+9-11]
Stigmella
atricapitella 83
Mine
long and narrow; frass forming a fine central line; larva with
light brown head without sclerites plates [6-7+10-11]
Stigmella
roborella 86
N.B.
In the autumn all Stigmella mines are difficult to determine
with the exception of S. basiguttella. If care is taken it
should be possible to determine tenanted mines so long as the
features mentioned in the key are adhered to.
Tischeriidae
Mine
a flat whitish blotch on the top of a leaf, occasionally several
mines can be found on one leaf. The mine is free of frass, which
is ejected through a slit at the edge of the mine. The mine is
lined with silk [9-4]
Tischeria
ekebladella 123
Mine
a flat brownish blotch on top of a leaf with darker concentric
rings on the upper
surface of the leaf. No frass in mine which is ejected through a slit. The mine
is lined with silk [9
Tischeria
dodonaea 124
Heliozelidae
Mine
starts in twig proceeding into base of leaf via petiole. When
almost fully fed it cuts out an oval hole in the base of the
leaf measuring 4 x 2mm to 5 x 3mm.
Occasionally two larvae mine the same twig resulting in a hole
being cut out from
either side of the leaf [6-7]
Heliozela
sericiella 154
Bucculatricidae
Mine
short, often contorted close to midrib, frass black. After leaving
mine larva eats out windows from underside of leaf [7+9-10]
Bucculatrix
ulmella 274
Gracillariidae
1
Mine
with epidermal gallery on underside leading to a subquadrate
blotch about 5mm across (triangular if in angle of veins); larva
feeds later in a cone on the leaf-margin
2
Mine
formed otherwise
3
*N.B.
The second generation cones of C. robustella are indistinguishable
from those of C. alchimiella.
3
Mine
upperside, large and covering most of leaf
4
Mine
underside
5
Mine
otherwise
Hymenoptera
spp.
5
Larva
mines only when young, feeding later in a cone on the leaf margin
[6-9]
Caloptilia
leucapennella 292
Larva
mines throughout
6
Mine
on deciduous species
7
7
Mine
appearing to have no creases in lower epidermis
8
Mine
with visible creases in lower epidermis
10
Mine
more than 17mm long
9
9
Pupa
in cocoon attached to central green patch in the upper epidermis;
mine 17-20mm long, strongly contorting leaf [7-8]
Phyllonorycter
roboris 316
Pupa
without a cocoon, but in a silken web; mine 22-28mm long, often
several in one leaf causing leaf to distort considerably [7-9]
Phyllonorycter
distentella 346
10
Lower
epidermis with numerous small creases
11
Lower
epidermis with a least one large crease
12
11
Very
small mine usually in lobe or on edge of leaf, cocoon occupying
most of mine
(autumn generation only) [7+9-10]
Phyllonorycter
heegeriella 317
Mine
underside, small, usually on margin when leaf-edge folds right
over almost concealing mine, preferring high branches; pupa in
flimsy, lace like cocoon [7+9-11]
Phyllonorycter
kuhlweiniella 319
12
Cocoon
incorporating no frass
13
Cocoon
incorporating frass
14
13
13
Mine less than 14mm long; cocoon attached to both upper and lower
epidermis
(summer generation only) [6-7+9-10]
Phyllonorycter
harrisella 315
Mine
more than 20mm long, almost always between veins extending from
midrib, often
several mines in a leaf [7+9-10]
Phyllonorycter
lautella 351
14
Mine
11mm or more long
15
Mine
10mm or less long, cocoon attached to both upper and lower epidermis
(summer
generation only [7+9-10]
Phyllonorycter
heegeriella 317
15
Cocoon
attached to upper epidermis only
16
Cocoon
attached to both upper and lower epidermis
17
16
Cocoon
completely covered in frass (summer generation only); mine irregular
in shape
positioned anywhere on leaf [7+9-10]
Phyllonorycter
quercifoliella 320
Cocoon
only lined with frass; a long mine between two veins and extending
from
midrib [7+9-10]
Phyllonorycter
muelleriella 322
17
Cocoon
flimsy and only loosely attached to the upper epidermis, usually
lined with only a little frass [3-4+7+10]
Phyllonorycter
messaniella 321
Cocoon
strong with frass edging giving a distinct U or V shape
18
18
Mine
with small patch of uneaten parenchyma on the upper leaf epidermis
to which the cocoon is firmly attached (autumn generation only)
[7+9-10]
Phyllonorycter
quercifoliella 320
Mine
with a patch of parenchyma on upper epidermis usually left uneaten,
frass either deposited on each side of pupa or pupa completely
covered [6-7+9-10]
Phyllonorycter
harrisella 315
At
present it is almost impossible to distinguish between several
of the autumn mines of the oak feeding Phyllonorycters. Those
presenting the most problems are Phyllonorycter quercifoliella,
P. messaniella and P. heegeriella. However they can usually be
determined by examination of the larva or the pupal case. It
now appears that those mines that yield P. quercifoliella have
the cocoon adhered very firmly to an uneaten patch of green on
the upper leaf epidermis. Those yielding P. messaniella have
no uneaten parenchyma at all and are only rather loosely attached
to the upper epidermis.
A
description of the larva is as follows:
P. quercifoliella: Head light brown, body pale whitish green, gut darker green.
P. messaniella: Head brown, body yellow, anterior segments opaque whitish yellow.
P. heegeriella: Head very pale greenish brown, body pale whitish green, gut darker.
P.lautella: Head
very pale greenish brown, first anterior segment pale yellow, a yellow spot
on the fifth abdominal segment and a blackish spot on eighth abdominal segment.
Breeding through Phyllonorycters is fairly easy and should be attempted
wherever possible to determine the species.
N.B.
Other species of insects also mine oak leaves especially Sawflies.