Alnus alder
(For a dichotomous table for galls on Alnus by Hans Roskam click here)Dichotomous table for leafminers
1a tentiform mine, or a blotch without a long initial corridor => 2
1b mine begins as a narrow corridor, that may or may not widen further on; the corridor can be short and tortuous => 19
1c fleck mine => 27
1d mine ends in an oval or circular excision => 35
1e whitish transverse connection between midrib and a lateral vein, or between two veins, usually not far from the leaf tip: Heliozela resplendella
1f gallen etc => Tabellen voor alle parasieten per soort
Dichotomous table for leafminers
1a tentiform mine, or a blotch without a long initial corridor => 2
1b mine begins as a narrow corridor, that may or may not widen further on; the corridor can be short and tortuous => 19
1c fleck mine => 27
1d mine ends in an oval or circular excision => 35
1e whitish transverse connection between midrib and a lateral vein, or between two veins, usually not far from the leaf tip: Heliozela resplendella
1f gallen etc => Tabellen voor alle parasieten per soort
2a circular blotch with frass in concentric arcs around a dark centre: Leucoptera malifoliella
2b mine different, frass not in concentric arcs => 3
3a large blotch; (almost) full depth, transparent => 4
3b small blotch of evident tentiform mine, never transparent => 9
4a underside of leaf with a loose spinning, in which frass grains are trapped; larvae crimson: Atemelia torquatella
4b no spinning, ground colour of larvae whitish => 5
5a frass often in long threads; a large blotch mine in still young leaf, thereby strongly disfigured, on A. viridis: Eriocrania alpinella; Paracrania chrysolepidella
5b frass in loose grains; leaf not strongly disfigured => 6
6a thoracic feet of the larva reduced to black triangular stumps** (well visible with a hand lense, without opening the mine): Heterarthrus vagans
6b thoracic feet rather slender**, almost colourless => 7
7a larva: in front of all abdominal prolegs a black crescent-shaped spot; on Alnus viridis: Scolioneura betuleti
7b abdominal prolegs without spots => 8
8a larva: thorax-segments 1-3 and abd. 1 ventrally with a black spot; exclusively on Alnus viridis: Fenusa pumila
8b thorax-segments 1-3 and abd. 1 ventrally with almost imperceptible pigmentation; also on Alnus viridis: Fenusa dohrnii
9a mine upper-surface => 10
9b mine lower-surface => 11
10a silvery blotch without a fold: Caloptilia elongella
10b yellow-green tentiform mine with 1 longitudinal fold: Phyllonorycter stettinensis
11a lower epidermis of the (fresh) mine brown; mine small (ca. 1 cm), usually at the leaf margin: Caloptilia falconipennella
11b lower epidermis yellow-green or yellow, usually larger, not necessarily at the leaf margin => 12
12a lower epidermis with 1, strong, fold => 13
12b lower epidermis with numerous weak folds => 14
13a species from almost all Europe; pup: abd. 7 ventrally with group of about 3+3 spines, directed outwards: Phyllonorycter rajella
13b species from southern Europe (France, Italy); pupa: this group of spines may be missing: Phyllonorycter vulturella
14a mountain species, on Alnus viridis => 15
14b lowland species, on other Alnus species => 16
14c of Phyllonorycter alnivorella, a species from south-western Europe, mine and pupa are not sufficiently known
15a central European mountain species, on op Alnus viridis: Phyllonorycter alpina
15b species of the mountains of Corsica, on Alnus viridis subsp. suaveolens: Phyllonorycter suaveolentis
16a pupa: cremaster with two pairs of spines (the inner pair much the shortest); abd7 ventrally with a small group of outwards pointing spines => 17
16b only the outer pair of cremaster spines present; ab7 without a ventral group of spines => 18
17a only on Alnus incana; pupa: rear angle of metanotum with a pit; 7th abdominal segment ventrally with 3+3 outward directed spines; mine contracted stronger than in the much more common klemannella: Phyllonorycter strigulatella
17b on Alnus glutinosa and incana; pupa: rear margin of metanotum without a pit; 7th abdominal segment ventrally with 1+1 outward directed spine: Phyllonorycter klemannella
18a mine remarkably large; in vacated mines the exuvium generally protrudes through the lower epidermis; larva grey; species from almost all Europe: Phyllonorycter froelichiella
18b mine not that large; in vacated mines the exuvium always protrudes through the upper epidermis; larva unknown; species from SW Europe: Ph. chrysella
19a mine begins in midrib or a thick lateral vein => 20
19b mine begins freely in the leaf disc => 23
20a corridor short (1-2 cm), narrow, not widening, may run form one vein to another; no oviposition scar visible: young mine of Heliozela resplendella
20b corridor long, mor or less widening; deep oviposition scar in midrib or vein => 21
21a corridor widening just enough to acomodate the growing larva: Anoplus plantaris & A. roboris
21b corridor suddenly widening into a blotch, usually in the leaf apex => 22
22a leaf apex crumpled; initial corridor ca. 1 mm wide; larva in May-June: Orchestes testaceus
22b leaf apex normal; initial corridor wider; larva in June-August: Orchestes jota, Tachyerges pseudostigma & T. stigma
23a short, strongly contorted corridor, quickly widening into blotch: Ectoedemia minimella
23b corridor not cotorted, little of no widening => 24
24a corridor upper-surface, gradually widening, usually strongly discolouring the leaf: Agromyza alnivora
24b corridor full deep, hardly widening, hardly discolouring the leaf; at the start of the mine a tiny egg shell => 25
25a corridor short (< 3 cm); larval chamber > 3x its width; egg shell iridescent; exit slit upper-surface: Bucculatrix cidarella
25b corridor longer; larval chamber < 3x its width; egg shell shining; exit slit lower-surface => 26
26a frass line 1/3 – 1/2 of the width of the corridor; often several mines in a leaf; larva yellow, with a grey prosternum: Stigmella glutinosae (vacated mines usually cannot be distinguished with certainty form those of the following species)
26b frass line not wider than 1/3 of the corridor width; mines usually single; larva pale yellow, including the prosternum: Stigmella alnetella
27a hole in the mine not neatly circular; case helicoidal: Apterona paludella
27b hole circular; case more or less tubular => 28
28a case untidy, resembles a dead leaf: C. siccifolia
28b case different => 29
29a pistol case: Coleophora anatipenella
29b case small (ca. 3 mm), strongly curved, hooklike: juvenile case of Coleophora serratella
29c case > 5 mm, straight or weakly curved => 30
30a case made of 1 folded and spun leaf fragment => 31
30b composite leaf case => 33
30clobe case => 34
31a case three-valved, about 7 mm lang, rather squat; the commonest Coleophora on Alder: Coleophora serratella
31b case two-valved => 32
32a full-grown case about 8 mm: C. milvipennis
32b case about 13 mm: Coleophora alnifoliae
32c case 9-12 mm; on Alder probably only xenophagous: C. limosipennella
33a the leaf fragments of the case remarkably precisely fit to each other: Coleophora orbitella
33b these leaf fragments untidily connected: Coleophora binderella
34a case strongy bent; behind the mouth a number of rings: Coleophora fuscocuprella
34b case not bent, or only a little near its end; no rings behind the mouth: C. violacea
34c in the literature also Coleophora ahenella, of which the case cannot reliably be separated from the previous, is often reported from Alder; possibly this is due to identification errors
35a excision elliptic, ca. 3 x 5 mm: Heliozela resplendella
35b excision circular, ca. 5 mm in diameter: Incurvaria pectinea
**Vacated mines still contain the exuvia; usually the difference in structure of the feet can be clearly seen there as well.
The following species have been recorded from Alnus in the literature, but the identifications seem dubious: Orchestes alni (Kollár, 2007a), Phyllonorycter corylifoliella (Hartig, 1939a), Rhamphus pulicarius (Roques, 1998a).
Not included in the key: Bucculatrix thoracella; Eriocrania alpinella; Fenusella nana.