Clavigesta purdeyi (Durrant, 1911)
pine leaf-mining moth
mine
The mine begins in the tip of a needle, and descends towards the base. The larva hibernates in its first needle. After the hibernation the larva bores through the bud scales onto the base of young needles, causing them to drop. Pupation outside the mine.
host plants
Pinaceae, monophagous
Pinus contorta, nigra, sylvestris.
phenology
Larvae from September till June – July (Bradley ao, 1979a).
BENELUX
BE recorded (Phegea, 2010).
NE recorded (Kuchlein & de Vos, 1999a; Microlepidoptera.nl, 2010).
LUX recorded (Fauna Europaea, 2010).
distribution within Europe
From Denmark to the Pyrenees, and from Britain to Germany and Switzerland (Fauna Europaea, 2010).
larva
Reddish brown, c. 5 mm.
notes
Swatschek (1958a) describes as a character for the genus Clavigesta that the crochets of the prolegs are irregular in size, giving the impression that the crochets stand in a double row. However, because he could study only C. sylvestrana (Curtis) it is not absolutely sure that that the character applies to purdeyi as well. If it indeed is the case, it would provide an easy character to distinguish the larva of purdeyi from the one of Cedestis subfasciella.
references
Bradley, Tremewan & Smith (1979a), Hancock & Bland (2015b), Gielis Huisman, Kuchlein ao (1985a), Kuchlein & Donner (1993a), Kuchlein & de Vos (1999a), Huemer & Morandini (2009a), De Prins (1998a), De Prins & Steeman (2013a), Robbins (1991a), Rogard (2013a), Swatschek (1958a), Wegner (2010a, 2015a).