Tischeria decidua
Encyclopedia
Tischeria decidua is a moth
of the Tischeriidae family. It is found in Central and Southern Europe
, but has recently expanded its range and has been spotted in the Netherlands
and Poland
.
The larvae feed on Castanea sativa and Quercus species, including Quercus cerris, Quercus faginea, Quercus macrolepis
, Quercus pedunculiflora, Quercus petraea, Quercus pubescens and Quercus robur, x turneri. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of an upper-surface blotch without any initial corridor. The colour is yellow-brown with concentric grey-green arcs. The larva makes a discoidal cocoon in the centre of the mine. During feeding pauses it rests in the cocoon. The mine contains little or no frass
. The full grown larva frees the cocoon from the mine by making a circulur cut in the upper epidermis of the leaf and hibernates in the fallen cocoon.
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...
of the Tischeriidae family. It is found in Central and Southern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, but has recently expanded its range and has been spotted in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and 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...
.
The larvae feed on Castanea sativa and Quercus species, including Quercus cerris, Quercus faginea, Quercus macrolepis
Quercus macrolepis
Quercus macrolepis, the Valonia oak, is a tree in the family Fagaceae.It is found in the Southern Mediterranean, in the Balkans including the Greek Islands, in Morocco, and in Asia Minor.-Description:...
, Quercus pedunculiflora, Quercus petraea, Quercus pubescens and Quercus robur, x turneri. 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 any initial corridor. The colour is yellow-brown with concentric grey-green arcs. The larva makes a discoidal cocoon in the centre of the mine. During feeding pauses it rests in the cocoon. The mine contains little or no 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...
. The full grown larva frees the cocoon from the mine by making a circulur cut in the upper epidermis of the leaf and hibernates in the fallen cocoon.