Incurvaria praelatella (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)

strawberry leaf-cutter

Spiraea douglasii, Delden

detail

Incurvaria praelatella: excisions in Geum urbanum

Geum urbanum, Belgium, prov. Limbourg, de Hoefaert-Lanaken © Carina Van Steenwinkel

Geum urbanum, Belgium, prov. Liège, Heid des Gattes-Aywaille © Carina Van Steenwinkel

excision, after having been enlarged by a piece of dead leaf mateiral

mine

Small (< 1 cm), full depth blotch, transparant when fresh, starting at the leaf margin, usually near the leaf tip; frass in scattered grains. Sometimes several mines in a leaf. The larva soon makes an elliptic double sided excision. Subsequently, it continues feeding within this case.

host plants

mainly Rosaceae; weakly polyphagous

Achillea; Agrimonia; Alchemilla vulgaris; Filipendula; Fragaria vesca; Geum rivale; Potentilla reptans; Rubus fruticosus; Spiraea douglasii.

Preference for damp, shady situations; Fragaria is the main host plant genus (Hering, 1957a).

phenology

Mining larvae in June – July (Heath & Pelham-Clinton, 1976a), or even later (Emmet, 1974a); I myself found them in mid August. Hering (1957a) writes Augustus – October.

BENELUX

BE recorded (Phegea, 2009).

NE recorded (Kuchlein & de Vos, 1999a; Microlepidoptera.nl, 2009).

LUX recorded (Fauna Europaea, 2009).

distribution within Europe

Entire Europe, excluding the Iberian Peninsula (Fauna Europaea, 2009).

larva

synonyms

Lampronia praelatella.

references

Bengtsson (2008a), Buhr (1964a), Emmet (1974a), Heath & Pelham-Clinton (1985a), Hellers (2016a), Hering (1957a), Huber (1969a), Huemer (1988a, 2012a), Huisman & Koster (1994a), Kovács & Kovács (2000a), Kuchlein & Donner (1993a), Kuchlein & de Vos (1999a), Kurz (2016a), Mitterberger (1931a), Nowakowski (1954a), Robbins (1991a), Sønderup (1949a), Szőcs (1977a).