Prays oleae (Bernard, 1788)
small olive ermel
on Olea
Phillyrea angustifolia, France, Corse, Paslasca © Stéphane Claerebout
mine, lighted from behind

Olea europaea, Greece, Lesbos, Agiásos

underside
mine
Initially the larva makes an upper-surface, short, narrow corridor. Later, in early spring, it may abandon this mine and make elsewhere on the leaf an irregular full depth blotch, or it may continue the corridor into a blotch. Most frass is ejected through a hole in the mine; part of it is captured in spinning at the leaf underside. In the end the larva lives free under the leaf, causing window feeding.
host plants
Oleaceae, oligophagous
phenology
Mining larvae from autumn till early in the following spring. There are two more larvae generations, one feeding on the flowers, the second on the developing fruits.
BENELUX
Not known from the Benelux countries (Fauna Europaea, 2009).
distribution within Europe
Mediterranean Region (Fauna Europaea, 2009).
larva
Described by Amsel & Hering (1931a).
synonyms
Prays oleella (Fabricius, 1794.
notes
A very serious pest, in particular because of the damage to the flowers and fruits.
An adult that was captured in Britain (Langmaid & Young, 2009a) perhaps indicates that the species has established itself on ornamental olive trees.
references
Amsel & Hering (1931a), Athanasíou & Zárpas (0000a), Buhr (1930a, 1941a), Hering (1932e, 1934d, 1936b, 1957a, 1967a), Klimesch (1942a), Klimesch & Skala (1936a), Langmaid & Young (2009a), Maček (1999a).