Caloptilia alchimiella

Caloptilia alchimiella (Scopoli, 1763)

yellow-triangle slender

Caloptilia alchimiella mine

Fagus sylvatica, Duin en Kruidberg

mine in detail

mine

At first a narrow lower-surface epidermal gallery, regularly intersecting itself. In the next stage the mine becomes full depth. It remains a small mine, either rectangular, or, more frequently, a triangle in a vein axil, with frass along the sides. After a while the mine is vacated and the larva continues to live free in consecutively two or three downwards rolled leaf lobes. Pupation in a white cocoon.

Neither in the mine nor in the larva a difference is known with C. robustella. Moreover a temporal overlap exists between the single larval generation of C. alchmiella, and the second larval generation of robustella. Only the pupae and adults enable a reliable identification.

hostplants

Fagaceae, oligophagous

Castanea sativa; Fagus orientalis, sylvatica; Quercus cerris, macranthera, petraea & subsp. iberica, pubescens, robur.

phenology

Occupied mines in July – August; free living larvae until well in October (Emmet ea, 1985a).

BENELUX

BE recorded (Phegea, 2010).

NE recorded (Kuchlein & de Vos, 1999a; Microlepidoptera.nl, 2010).

LUX recorded (Fauna Europaea, 2010).

distribution within Europe

All Europe. except the Mediterranean Islands (Fauna Europaea, 2010).

pupa

See Patočka & Turčáni (2005a), Patočka & Zach (1995a) for differences with robustella in the pupa.

notes

Because the related C. robustella Jäckh, 1972 was recognised only relatively late, all older literature in fact refers to both species.

references

Baldizzone (2004a), Bengtsson & Johansson (2011a), Biesenbaum (2010a), SCS Brown (1947a), Buhr (1936a, 1964a, 1965a), Buszko (1992b), Buszko & Beshkov (2004a), Deutschmann (2008a), Drăghia (1972a), Emmet, Watkinson & Wilson (1985a), Hering (1925b, 1932g, 1934a, 1935a, 1957a), Huber (1969a), Huemer (2012a), Jaworski (2009a), Klimesch (1950c), Kuchlein & Donner (1993a), Kuchlein & de Vos (1999a), Lempke (1976a), Leutsch (2011a), Maček (1999a), Nowakowski (1954a), Opheim (1977a), Patočka & Turčáni (2005a), Patočka & Zach (1995a), De Prins (1998a), Robbins (1991a), Schütze (1931a), Sefrová (2005a), Skala (1941a, 1951a), Skala & Zavřel (1945a), Sønderup (1949a), Stolnicu (2007a), Szőcs (1977a), Tomov & Dimitrov (2007a), Tomov & Krusteva (2007a), Ureche (2010a), Zoerner (1969a, 1970a).