LepidopteraGracillariidae

Phyllonorycter heegeriella

This record describes Phyllonorycter heegeriella (species). Recorded family: Gracillariidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.

Identification and Appearance

Phyllonorycter heegeriella - Phyllonorycter heegeriella

Wingspan approximately 7mm. One of several oak-feeding Phyllonorycter species showing a white forewing base colour, the narrow greyish basal streak is a useful identification aid. The leaf mines on oak can be searched for from late autumn through winter, and it is relatively easy to rear the adult. The species can't be identified from the mine alone, but the pupa has a distinctive arrangements of hooks at the very end, known as the 'cremaster'. There are photos at https://mothdissection.co.uk/species.php?Tx=Phyllonorycter_heegeriella Provide a photograph of the adult or the leaf mine and pupal cremaster Adult moths fly in two generations, in May and again in August. The larvae form small blister mines on the underside of oak (Quercus) leaves, usually at a lobe, causing the tip to fold over. The mines are typically smaller than those of other oak-feeding species. They can be found in July and from September to October Widely distributed throughout much of Britain, although local, this species is commoner in the south, occupying deciduous woodland. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common. http://www.leafmines.co.uk/html/Lepidoptera/P.heegeriella.htm https://bladmineerders.nl/parasites/animalia/arthropoda/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/gracillarioidea/gracillariidae/lithocolletinae/phyllonorycter/phyllonorycter-heegeriella/

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Gracillariidae
Genus: Phyllonorycter

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

Habitat and Range

Habitat

Areas where oak is present.

Seasonal Activity

Adult moths fly in two generations, in May and again in August.

Diet and Behavior

Life History

The larvae form small blister mines on the underside of oak (Quercus) leaves, usually at a lobe, causing the tip to fold over. The mines are typically smaller than those of other oak-feeding species. They can be found in July and from September to October

Additional species information

Recorded status

Widely distributed throughout much of Britain, although local, this species is commoner in the south, occupying deciduous woodland. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.

About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group

Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Phyllonorycter heegeriella. 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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