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Blastodacna atra

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Apple pith moth
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Elachistidae
Genus: Blastodacna
Species:
B. atra
Binomial name
Blastodacna atra
(Haworth, 1828)[1]
Synonyms
  • Recurvaria atra Haworth, 1828
  • Elachista putripennella Zeller 1839

Blastodacna atra, the apple pith moth, is a moth of the family Elachistidae. It is known from most of Europe and it has been introduced to North America.

Description

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The wingspan is 11–13 mm. The head is white. Forewings are narrow, dark fuscous; a broad white dorsal streak, sprinkled with dark fuscous from base to tornus, with broad triangular indentation at 2/5, including a black scale-tuft; from apex of this streak a slender whitish fascia to costa before apex, emitting a branch posteriorly in middle and sometimes one anteriorly below it; a black scale-tuft in disc before this. Hindwings are grey. [2]

Adults are on wing from May to September in western Europe.[3]

The larvae mine inside young shoots of apples (Malus species) and can be found by looking for small heaps of frass. Occasionally there may be a small swelling and the young shoot may die off.[4]

Distribution

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The apple pith moth is found in most of Europe. It is an introduced species in North America, where it has been recorded from Massachusetts and Ontario.

References

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  1. ^ "Blastodacna atra (Haworth, 1828)". Fauma Europaea. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  2. ^ Meyrick, E., 1895 A Handbook of British Lepidoptera MacMillan, London pdf Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Keys and description
  3. ^ Kimber, Ian. "39.002 BF906 Apple Pith Moth Blastodacna atra (Haworth, 1828)". UKmoths. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  4. ^ Ellis, W N. "Blastodacna atra (Haworth, 1828) apple pith moth". Plant Parasites of Europe. Retrieved 15 April 2020.