Bucculatrix rhamniella Herrich-Schäffer, 1855

Rhamnus catharticus, Poland, Zbocza Plutowskie Reserve (UTM CE20), herbarium specimens © Jaroslaw Buszko

enlanged and lighted from behind
mine
Oviposition at the leaf underside, close to a thick vein. From there runs a vey slender corridor of about 3 cm runs in the direction of the leaf margin, usually for some distance following the vein. The larve leaves its mine through a crescent-shaped opening in the lower epidermis, leaving a slender vacated larval chamber. Later larval stages cause window feeding.
hostplants
Rhamnaceae, narrowly monophagous
Rhamnus cathartica, pumilis.
phenology
Larvae start to mine around mid July (Buszko, 1992a). Generally bivoltine; hibernation as pupa (Patočka, 1996a).
BENELUX
BE not recorded (Phegea, 2007).
NE Not recorded; see the note below.
LUX not recorded (Fauna Europaea, 2007).
distribution within Europe
Poland, Baltic States, Hungary, Romania (Fauna Europaea, 2007).
larva
Buszko (1992a).
pupa
Described by Buszko (1992a), Patočka (1996a), and Patočka & Turčáni (2005a).
notes
A single mine, originating from the Netherlands that was attributed to to this species in the end turned out to be a very anomalous mine of B. frangutella. Dr. Buskzo is thanked for the identification.
references
Buszko (1992a,b), Hering (1957a), Patočka (1996a), Patočka & Turčáni (2005a), Szőcs (1977a).