Mentha spec., Belgium, prov. East Fanders, Gand; © Jonas Mortelmans

Mentha spec., Belgium, Liège; © Jean-Yves Baugnée

Mentha spec., Belgium, Namur; © Jean-Yves Baugnée

mine

Upper-surface corridor, often branched and crossing itself, but not forming a secondary blotch. Frass mainly in thread fragments. Pupaption generally outside the mine. Sometimes pupation occurs within the mine, near the lower epidermis, but then already an exit slit has been made, and the spiracula do not penetrate the epidermis (Hering, 1924a, 1957a).

host plants

Lamiaceae, oligophagous

Melisssa; Mentha aquatica, longifolia, spicata, suaveolens; Monarda.

phenology

Larvae from April to October in several generations (Hering, 1957a).

BENELUX

BE recorded (Jean-Yves Baugnée, 2012; see also Mortelmans ao, 2014a).

NE recorded (Hering, 1957a).

LUX not recorded (Fauna Europaea, 2008).

distribution within Europe

From Lithuania to the Iberian Peninsula, and from the UK to Thrace (Fauna Europaea, 2008).

larva

Described by de Meijere (1937a) and Spencer (1973b). Rear spiraculum with about 25 papillae.

parasitoids, predators

Miscogaster maculata.

notes

Hering (1957a) found the species to be common on Monarda, gone wild in the Amsterdam Hortus Botanicus. A pest on cultivated mint (Spencer, 1973b).

references

Beiger (1955a, 1960a, 1965a, 1970a, 1979a), Benavent, Martínez, Moreno & Jiménez (2004a), Beri (1971e), Buhr (1932a, 1941b, 1964a), Černý (2011a), Černý & Merz (2006a, 2007a), Černý & Vála (2006a), Černý, Vála & Barták (2001a), Civelek, Deeming & Önder (2000a), Ci̇velek, Çikman & Dursun (2008a), Cooper (2014a), Dreger & Myssura (2005a), Hering (1924a,b, 1936b, 1957a), Huber (1969a), Kvičala (1938a), Maček (1999a), de Meijere (1937a), Michalska (2003a), Mortelmans, Boeraeve, Tamsyn ao (2014a), Ostrauskas, Pakalniškis & Taluntytė (2003a), Pakalniškis (1993a), Robbins (1991a), Skala (1951a), Sønderup (1949a), Spencer (1953a, 1972a, 1973b, 1976a), Starý (1930a), Süss (1999a), von Tschirnhaus (1999a), Zoerner (1969a).