Scrobipalpa ocellatella (Boyd, 1858)

beet moth

mine

Young larvae bore in the midrib, later they mine the leaf from a web spun over of the leaf.

hostplants

Amaranthaceae, probably monophagous

Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima.

Referred in the literature also to Camphorosma monspeliaca; Halimione portulacoides; Salicornia europaea; Suaeda maritima, vera; however, according to Maurice Jansen (in litt.) these associations are very dubious; also in Britain ocellatella has only been found on Beta.

phenology

Two generations per year; hibernation as larva.

BENELUX

BE recorded (Phegea, 2009).

NE recorded (Kuchlein & de Vos, 1999a; Microlepidoptera.nl, 2009).

LUX not recorded (Fauna Europaea, 2009).

distribution within Europe

From Denmark to the Iberian Peninsula, Sardinia, Sicily, Crete, and Cyprus, and from Ireland to South Russia (Fauna Europaea, 2009).

larva

Grey green, with some vague reddish brown length lines; head and prothoracic plate light brown; rear margin of the pronotum black brown; anal plate grey green (Jansen, 1999a; Bland ao, 2002a; Gómez de Aizpúrua, 2003a).

synonyms

Gnorimoschema ocellatellum, Lita ocellatella.

notes

Locally around the Mediterranean a pest on beetroot and sugar beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris) (Bland ea, 2002a; Huemer & Karsholt, 2010a).

references

Aguiar & Karsholt (2006a), Bland, Heckford & Langmaid (2002a), Deutschmann (2010a), Elsner, Huemer & Tokár (1999a), Gómez de Aizpúrua (2003a), Hering (1957a), Huemer & Karsholt (2010a), Jansen (1999a), Kasy (1965a), De Prins (1998a), Skala (1950a), Szőcs (1977a).