Digitivalva reticulella (Hübner, 1796)

mine

Young larvae make a narrow corridor, starting in the leaf base, with a narrow frassline that often lies at one side. They can leave the mine and restart elsewhere. Later mines or mine sections are much wider; most of the frass is ejected (though grains may get stuck in the plant hair cover). Older larvae live free among the flower heads.

host plants

Asteraceae, narrowly oligophagous

Filago arvensis; Gnaphalium sylvaticum; Helichrysum arenarium; Laphangium luteoalbum.

phenology

Mining larvae in March – April (Hering, 1957a).

BENELUX

BE recorded (Phegea, 2009).

NE not recorded (Fauna Europaea, 2009).

LUX not recorded (Fauna Europaea, 2009).

distribution within Europe

From Scandinavia and Finland to the Iberian Peninsula, Italy and Bulgaria, and from Belgium to Russia (Fauna Europaea, 2009).

larva

Body yellow, head brown (Hering, 1957a).

pupa

Described by Patočka & Turčáni (2005a).

synonyms

Acrolepia, Digitivalva, cariosella (Treitschke, 1835).

references

Baraniak (1990a), Beiger (1979a), Bengtsson & Johansson (2011a), Buhr (1935b), Gaedike (1972a), Gerstberger (2000a), Hering (1957a, 1963a), Klimesch (1958a), Patočka & Turčáni (2005a), Szőcs (1977a).