Heliozela resplendella

Heliozela resplendella is a moth of the Heliozelidae family. It is found from Fennoscandia and northern Russia to the Pyrenees, Alps and Romania and from Ireland to the Baltic region.

Young alder leaf, showing the early mine of a young larva (1b); developed alder leaf, showing the blotch mine of the adult larva, and another mine whence the oval case has been cut out (1b*)

Larva

Heliozela resplendella
Heliozela resplendella Fenn's Moss, North Wales,
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Heliozelidae
Genus:	Heliozela
Species:	H. resplendella
Binomial name
Heliozela resplendella (Stainton, 1851)[1]
Synonyms
Aechmia resplendella Stainton, 1851

The wingspan is 5–7 mm. Head dark bronzy. Forewings dark greyish-bronze ; a white dorsal spot towards base, and another beyond middle. Hindwings rather dark brassy grey.[2]

Adults are on wing from late May to July in one generation per year.[3]

The larvae feed on Alnus glutinosa, Alnus glutinosa x incana and Alnus incana. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts in a heavy leaf vein. The larva bores in the vein, descending towards the midrib. The larva may move from one thick vein to another with a thin transverse corridor. From the midrib, the larva descends into the petiole. Finally, the larva returns to the leaf through the midrib. Here, it makes a short, full depth, widening corridor with a clear central frass line.[4] Larvae can be found from June and July to October. When full-grown, they cut out an oval case, in which they descend to the ground to pupate.

References

1. Fauna Europaea
2. Meyrick, E., 1895 A Handbook of British Lepidoptera MacMillan, London pdf This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Keys and description
3. Ukmoths
4. bladmineerders.nl