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Recent Publications
- The Nepticulidae and Opostegidae (Lepidoptera) of North West Europe
- Introduction to the Nepticulidae
- Stigmella aurella (F.) and Stigmella splendidissimella (H.S.) (Lep., Nepticulidae) - a method of distinguishing mines on Rubus
- The Ando-Patagonian Stigmella magnispinella group (Lepidoptera, Nepticulidae) with description of new species from Ecuador, Peru and Argentina
- Die Lepidopterenfauna von Herkulesbad und Orsova. Eine zoogeographische Studie
- Influences of leaf-mining insects on their host plants: A review
Nepticuloidea
Ectoedemia pseudoilicis Z. Laštuvka & A. Laštuvka, 1998
Ectoedemia pseudoilicis
Diagnostic description:Diagnosis. Resembles E. ilicis closely, but distribution is completely vicariant. E. pseudoilicis has the dorsal spot slightly beyond middle, whereas this is exactly in the middle in ilicis. Female E. pseudoilicis can be easily recognised by the protruding ovipositor. Male genitalia similar to those of E. ilicis and heringella, but ilicis has the gnathos undivided, albeit with a serrate margin and the valvae of pseudoilicis are more elongate, tip less curved. E. heringella easily separated by the androconial scales on the hindwing.
Morphology:Redescription. Male. Forewing length 1.8–2.5 mm, wingspan 3.8–5.4 mm. Head: frontal tuft yellow to ferruginous , collar paler; scape white, sometimes with a few brown scales; antenna brown, with (32) 35–41 segments. Thorax and forewing dark brown with single dorsal white spot, slightly beyond middle, of varying size; cilia-line distinct; cilia silvery white; underside pale brown. Hindwing and cilia dark grey; costal bristles present, no hairpencil. Abdomen grey, with brown anal tufts.
Female. Forewing length 2.0–2.8 mm, wingspan 4.2–5.9 mm; antenna with 27–32 segments. Abdomen with distinct protruding narrow ovipositor.
Male genitalia. Capsule length 240–260 μm. Tegumen forming broadly rounded pseuduncus. Gnathos with central element divided, distal part spatulate, basal part with serrate margin. Valva length 175–195 μm; narrow, with inner margin evenly concave, with inwards curved pointed apex, less strongly so than in E. ilicis. Aedeagus 235–275 μm long, ventral carinae usually not split.
Female genitalia. Terminal segments forming narrow protruding ovipositor. T7 with irregular row of ca 3–5 long setae on either side. T8 with a row of 3–5 setae on either side, close to posterior margin; narrow and protruding. Anal papillae with ca 17–24 setae each. Apophyses long, apophyses anteriores thick in their whole length, apophyses posteriores thin. Vestibulum with vaginal sclerite, a prominent spiculate pouch and a group of densely packed pectinations near entrance of ductus spermathecae. Corpus bursae ca. 845–870 μm, without pectinations; signa different in length and shape, longer 474–520 μm, shorter 415–455 μm. Ductus spermathecae with ca. 2.5 very indistinct convolutions.Associations:Hostplant: Quercus coccifera L., here confirmed by reared adults.
Leafmine. Egg on leaf upperside. Mine a more or less contorted gallery, almost filled with black frass. In the Greek localities almost always occurring together with E. haraldi; it has been impossible to separate the mines from these mixed samples.Distribution:Widespread in mainland Greece, also newly recorded here from Greece: Crete and Turkey. Apparently vicariant with the western Mediterranean Ectoedemia ilicis.
Life cycle:Univoltine, larvae collected in February, adults flying in April to July.