Leucoptera lotella
Encyclopedia
Leucoptera lotella is a moth
in the Lyonetiidae
family. It is found from Denmark
to Portugal
, Italy
and Croatia
, and from Great Britain
to Poland
and Hungary
.
The larvae feed on Coronilla varia, Dorycnium pentaphyllum
, Lotus corniculatus
, Lotus pedunculatus, Lotus uliginosus
, Securigera coronata and Tetragonolobus maritimus. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of an upper-surface blotch without a preceding gallery. The blotch is nearly circular, but may have broad lobes. The black frass
is deposited in indistinct arcs or spirals, glued to the upper epidermis and forming a dark central patch. The larvae may leave a mined leaf and restart elsewhere. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
in the Lyonetiidae
Lyonetiidae
Lyonetiidae is a family of moths. These are small, slender moths, the wingspan rarely exceeding 1 cm. The very narrow forewings, held folded backwards covering the hindwings and abdomen, often have pointed apices noticeably up- or down-turned. The larvae are leaf miners.The families Bucculatricidae...
family. It is found from Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
to Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, and from Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
.
The larvae feed on Coronilla varia, Dorycnium pentaphyllum
Dorycnium pentaphyllum
Dorycnium pentaphyllum, common name: Prostrate Canary Clover, is a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the genus Dorycnium of the Fabaceae family. The specific Latin name pentaphyllum derives from the greek pénte meaning five and phýllon meaning leaf, referred to the shape of the...
, Lotus corniculatus
Lotus corniculatus
Lotus corniculatus is a common flowering plant native to grassland temperate Eurasia and North Africa. The common name is Bird's-foot Trefoil , though the common name is often also applied to other members of the genus...
, Lotus pedunculatus, Lotus uliginosus
Lotus uliginosus
Lotus pedunculatus , Greater Bird's-foot Trefoil or Marsh Bird's-foot Trefoil is a member of the pea family ....
, Securigera coronata and Tetragonolobus maritimus. They mine
Leaf miner
Leaf miner is a term used to describe the larvae of many different species of insect which live in and eat the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths , sawflies and flies , though some beetles and wasps also exhibit this behavior.Like Woodboring beetles, leaf...
the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of an upper-surface blotch without a preceding gallery. The blotch is nearly circular, but may have broad lobes. The black frass
Frass
Frass is the fine powdery material phytophagous insects pass as waste after digesting plant parts. It causes plants to excrete chitinase due to high chitin levels, it is a natural bloom stimulant, and has high nutrient levels. Frass is known to have abundant amoeba, beneficial bacteria, and fungi...
is deposited in indistinct arcs or spirals, glued to the upper epidermis and forming a dark central patch. The larvae may leave a mined leaf and restart elsewhere. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.