Antispila petryi

This record describes Antispila petryi (species). Recorded family: Heliozelidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.

Identification and Appearance

Wingspan 6 mm. Most likely to be recorded from vacated mines and leaf cut-outs. The mines occur on Dogwood, the larva eating out a short gallery leading to a blotch, then cutting an oval case. Antispila metallella , Antispila treitschkiella . Adult moths need to be confirmed by gen det. Leafmine records must state the host species and include an image of the mine measured against a millimetre rule. Woodland, downland and scrubland where Dogwood occurs. Larva mines leaves of Dogwood, subsequently living within a movable case, and over-wintering as a pupa. Local in southern England, north to Yorkshire. http://www.leafmines.co.uk/html/Lepidoptera/A.petryi.htm https://bladmineerders.nl/parasites/animalia/arthropoda/insecta/lepidoptera/monotrysia/adeloidea/heliozelidae/antispila/antispila-petryi/

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Heliozelidae
Genus: Antispila

Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.

Habitat and Range

Habitat

Woodland, downland and scrubland where Dogwood occurs.

Seasonal Activity

Leafmine: Aug to October.

Diet and Behavior

Life History

Larva mines leaves of Dogwood, subsequently living within a movable case, and over-wintering as a pupa.

Additional species information

Recorded status

Local in southern England, north to Yorkshire.

About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group

Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Antispila petryi. Species-specific details appear above.

Group overview

Lepidoptera includes approximately 180,000 described species of butterflies and moths. Moths outnumber butterflies roughly 10:1. The monarch butterfly's eastern population has declined by more than 80% since the mid-1990s, and the western population by over 95% since the 1980s. The IUCN lists the migratory monarch as Vulnerable.

Ecological role of the group

Butterflies and moths are essential indicators of ecosystem health. As caterpillars, they are a primary food source for birds - a single nest of blue tit chicks requires ~10,000 caterpillars. Adult moths pollinate many night-blooming plants.

Economic and practical significance of the group

Lepidoptera are critical pollinators. In Europe, grassland butterfly species have declined by almost 50% since the early 1990s. In the UK, three-quarters of butterflies are in decline. In the U.S., five butterfly species have gone extinct since 1950, with 29 listed as endangered.

Recorded sources for this group: IUCN Red List, Xerces Society, USFWS, PNAS, WWF. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.

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