Eriocrania semipurpurella (Stephens, 1835)
early purple
Betula, Steenbergen © Kees Boele
Betula pubescens, Nieuwendam, leaf underside; mine with young larva
Betula pubescens, Hollandsche Rading: very first part of the mine
mine
Oviposition a few mm from the leaf margin; here begins a corridor of some mm, filled with granular frass. This corridor suddenly widens into a large full depth white blotch, with frass in long threads. The blotch remains adjacent to the leaf margin, and often engulfs the initial corridor. Almost always one larva in the mine (unless by coalescence of two mines). The larva lies venter-down in the mine. Older mines wither and disintegrate, and cannot be found later in the summer.
host plants
Betulaceae, monophagous
Betula pendula, pubescens.
phenology
Mines from end-March till early May (Heath, 1983a). The larve hibernates in the soil, in a detritus-covered cocoon; pupation in the soil.
BENELUX
BE recorded (Phegea, 2009).
NE recorded (Kuchlein & de Vos, 1999a; Microlepidoptera.nl, 2009).
LUX recorded (Fauna Europaea, 2009).
distribution within Europe
All Europe, except the Balkan Peninsula and the Mediterranean Islands (Fauna Europaea, 2009).
larva
pupa
pictures in Schmid.
synonyms
Allochapmania semipurpurella.
references
Bengtsson (2008a), Borkowski (2003a), Buhr (1935a), Haase (1942a), Hellers (2016a), Hering (1957a), Huber (1969a), Kuchlein & Donner (1993a), Kuchlein & de Vos (1999a), Kurz (2016a), De Prins & Steeman (2011a), Robbins (1991a), Schmid (2019a), Schütze (1931a), Skala & Zavřel (1945a), Sønderup (1949a), Stammer (2016a), Steeman & Sierens (2018a), Szőcs (1977a), Toll (1959a), van Wielink (2020a).