Caryocolum marmorea (Haworth, 1828)

beautiful groundling

mine

In Cerastium the young larva makes an irregular, semitransparent, upper-surface corridor, running usually from the leaf tip to the base along the midrib or the leaf margin. The oldest part of the mine is filled with greenish brown frass. From the leaf the larva bores itself into the stem. It is not known whether the larva behaves similarly in Silene. The older larva feeds on the leaves from a silken tube or between spun leaves.

host plants

Caryophyllaceae, oligophagous

Cerastium fontanum, semidecandrum; Silene nocteolens, otites.

phenology

Mining larva in January – February.

BENELUX

BE recorded (Phegea, 2011).

NE recorded (Kuchlein & de Vos, 1999a; Microlepidoptera.nl, 2011).

LUX not recorded (Fauna Europaea, 2011).

distribution within Europe

From Scandinavia to the Mediterranean islands, and from Ireland to Poland, Hungary, and Greece (Fauna Europaea, 2011). Also on the Canary Islands and Madeira (Huemer & Karsholt, 2010a).

larva

Head and prothoracic shield black. Body greenish yellow with three dirty green dorsal length lines. Anal shield blackish brown (Bland ao, 2002a).

parasite

Caryocolum marmoreum

references

Aguiar & Karsholt (2006a), Bland, Corley, Emmet ao (2002a), Corley (2005a), Haslberger, Grünewald, Lichtmannecker, ao (2012a), Heckford (2000a), Huemer (1988b), Huemer & Karsholt (2010a), Klimesch (1954a), Kolbeck, Lichtmannecker & Pröse (2005a), Schütze (1931a), Wegner (2010a).