4.083 BF24a

Ectoedemia hannoverella

(Glitz, 1872)

Wingspan c. 6-7mm.

This species was discovered breeding in Suffolk in 2002, when mines were found in fallen leaves of Italian poplar (Populus x canadensis), mistaken initially for E. turbidella, which only mines grey poplar P. canescens in this country.

Subsequent searches found more mines in nearby areas of East Anglia and from the Ipswich area. Some of these were bred through and proved to be E. hannoverella, a new species for Britain.

From September, the larva forms a blotch mine at the base of a leaf of P. x canadensis, starting mining in the petiole and leaving two strands of frass in the mine. The mine can form a 'green island' in an otherwise brown fallen leaf. Adults that have been reared through emerged in April and May. \

See also:
Leafmine (British Leaf Mining Fauna)