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 var latifolia, 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), Gielis ao (1985a), Kuchlein & Donner (1993a), Kuchlein & de Vos (1999a), De Prins (1998a), De Prins & Steeman (2013a), Robbins (1991a), Swatschek (1958a).