Trifurcula ortneri

Diagnostic description: 

Diagnosis. Externally T. ortneri cannot be distinguished from T. manygoza. The male genitalia are characterised from manygoza, eurema and cryptella by the valva with a prominent right angle medially in the inner margin. The dorsal lobe of the aedeagus is more prominent than in the related species. Female genitalia hardly separable from those of T. eurema, but anal papillae usually with more setae (14-22 in contrast to 11-14); separated from T. manygoza by the smaller number of coils (6-7½) in the ductus spermathecae.

Associations: 

Recorded from a variety of perennial Coronilla species, here recorded for the first time from C. viminalis Salisb. (see material). A possible record from Hippocrepis emerus (HUEMER & TRIBERTI 2004) (as Coronilla emerus) is based on adults beaten from that plant; since Coronilla minima occurs on these localities as well, this record is regarded as dubious. An earlier record from H. emerus (LAŠTŮVKA & LAŠTŮVKA 1997) was based on a misidentification of Coronilla valentina (Z. Laštůvka, in litt. 7.vi.2006), which superficially resembles H. emerus. T. ortneri is usually found on limestone, the preferred soil for all recorded hosts.
The leafmine differs from most other Levarchama species, because the transition between gallery and blotch is less abrupt, and the blotch therefore more an widened gallery. Cocoon: ochreous, in  soil or on leaf-litter. 

Distribution: 

Not in Denmark or Fennoscandia. Widespread in Western Mediterranean: Spain, France, three records in Italy (Emilia-Romagna, Veneto), one record from Croatia: Dalmatia, Morocco and Algeria (new records), eastern Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Germany: Baden-Württemberg and Thüringen. The record for Morocco is based on mines only, which resemble those on Coronilla minima in Spain very much. Since no other species is known to make leafmines on Coronilla in this area, and T. ortneri is also found in Algeria, the identity of these mines as T. ortneri is most likely correct. 
    

Citation: 

This taxonomic description is based on Van Nieukerken (2007).

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith