Incurvaria praelatella
Encyclopedia
Incurvaria praelatella is a moth
of the Incurvariidae
family. It is found in all of Europe
, except the Iberian Peninsula
.
The wingspan
is 11-14 mm.
The larvae feed on Achillea
, Agrimonia, Alchemilla vulgaris, Filipendula
, Fragaria vesca, Geum rivale, Potentilla reptans, Rubus fruticosus and Spiraea douglasii. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a small full depth blotch, which is transparent at first. The mine starts at the leaf margin, mostly near the leaf tip. The frass
is scattered about the mine in grains. There may be several mines in a single leaf.
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 Incurvariidae
Incurvariidae
Incurvariidae is a family of small primitive monotrysian moths in the order Lepidoptera. There are twelve genera recognised . Many species are leaf miners and much is known of their hostplants, excluding Paraclemensia acerifoliella . The most familiar species in Europe are perhaps Incurvaria...
family. It is found in all of 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...
, except the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 11-14 mm.
The larvae feed on Achillea
Achillea
Achillea is a genus of about 85 flowering plants, in the family Asteraceae, commonly referred to as yarrow. They occur in Europe and temperate areas of Asia. A few grow in North America. These plants typically have frilly, hairy, aromatic leaves....
, Agrimonia, Alchemilla vulgaris, Filipendula
Filipendula
Filipendula is a genus of 12 species of perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the family Rosaceae, native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Well-known species include Meadowsweet and Dropwort , both native to Europe, and Queen-of-the-forest and Queen-of-the-prairie...
, Fragaria vesca, Geum rivale, Potentilla reptans, Rubus fruticosus and Spiraea douglasii. 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 a small full depth blotch, which is transparent at first. The mine starts at the leaf margin, mostly near the leaf tip. The 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 scattered about the mine in grains. There may be several mines in a single leaf.