Plant Parasites of Europe

leafminers, galls and fungi

Chirosia griseifrons

Chirosia griseifrons (Séguy, 1923)

on Athyrium, ? Dryopteris

Chirosia griseifrons: cephalic skeleton

cephalic skeleton (from Dušek)

Chirosia griseifrons: puparium

puparium

mine

Long corridor in the petiole, descending to the very base, then again running upwards. The petiole turns black and the leaf is strongly malformed and underdeveloped. The corridor lies rather deep over its entire length; unlike in the m ine of Heptameles ochroleucus there are no spots where it is only covered by the epidermis. Pupation is after the mine has been vacated through a hole in the concave outside of the petiole.

hostplants

Woodsiaceae, monophagous ?

Athyrium filix-femina.

according to Robbins (1991a) rarely also Dryopteris.

phenology

Full grown larvae found between end July-mid August (de Meijere, 1911a).

BENELUX

BE not recorded (Fauna Europaea, 2007).

NE recorded (de Meijere, 1911a, as Chortophila latipennis).

LUX not recorded (Fauna Europaea, 2007).

distribution within Europe

From Scandinavia to the Pyrenees, and from the UK to Poland; also parts of European Russia (Fauna Europaea, 2007).

larva

The larva, about 7 mm in length, pale yellow to straw coloured, is described in detail by de Meijere and Dušek.

puparium

Described by Stork ad Dušek.

synonyms

The detailed description by de Meijere has been cited repeatedly in the later literature. Shortly however it was discovered by Ackland (2002a) that de Meijere’s identification of the miner was erroneous, and did not refer to Chortophila (= Phorbia or Acrostilpna) latipennis Zetterstedt, 1838, but to Chirosia griseifrons.

references

Ackland (2002a), Dušek (1969a), Kabos (1975a) , de Meijere (1911a), Robbins (1991a), Stork (1936a).

Last modified 17.iii.2019