Ectoedemia (Ectoedemia) heringella (Mariani)

van Nieukerken, Erik, Laštůvka, Aleš & Laštůvka, Zdeněk, 2010, Western Palaearctic Ectoedemia (Zimmermannia) Hering and Ectoedemia Busck s. str. (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae): five new species and new data on distribution, hostplants and recognition, ZooKeys 32 (32), pp. 1-82 : 54

Ectoedemia (Ectoedemia) heringella (Mariani)

Figs 84, 92, 112, 115, 116

Biology. Hostplants. Quercus ilex L., Q. alnifoliae Poech. ,? Q. robur L. In northern Italy the species was frequently found in localities without any evergreen oaks (G. Baldizzone, personal communication), such as the Parco NR Capanne di Marcarolo. Since in Britain in an outbreak situation mines on Quercus robur have been seen, we assume that E. heringella can also feed on deciduous Quercus .

Leafmines (Figs 115, 116) cannot be separated from other related gallery miners, in its distribution area mostly E. haraldi and pseudoilicis .

Univoltine, larvae from November to April, adults May (April?) to July.

Distribution. Widespread in Eastern Mediterranean, from Cyprus westwards to Corsica and southeastern France (Alpes Maritimes), recently recorded as invasive insect from Great Britain: Langmaid and Young 2003; Prichard 2005; Vickery 2004; Palmer 2008; Sims 2008. Records for France: Van Nieukerken et al. 2006; Greece: Laštůvka and Laštůvka 1998. Here new for Sardinia and tentatively recorded for Tunisia on the basis of two females.

Remarks. Ectoedemia heringella suddenly appeared in the beginning of this century in the parks of London, where it soon reached almost pest status with sometimes all leaves of the planted Quercus ilex covered in mines (Fig. 116). The first adults were collected in the Wildlife Garden of the Natural History Museum ( Langmaid and Young 2003; Prichard 2005; Vickery 2004), from where EJvN identified the unrecognised specimens in 2000. It is likely that the species was introduced to Britain, possibly with plant material, the nearest natural occurrence being the Alpes Maritimes in France. Recently it has been spreading through southern England. EJvN found similar vacated mines in Paris: Jardin des Plantes, but it is not certain that they belong to this species.

Material. Great Britain: 2♀, London , Buckingham Palace garden, 9. V.2002, M. Honey ( RMNH) ; 2♁, ibidem,. 14. VI, 5.VII.2001, D.J. Carter ( BMNH) ; thousands of mines [rearing failed], London , Fulham: Fulham Palace Gardens, 6.II.2005, larvae on Quercus ilex , E.J. van Nieukerken ( RMNH) ; 4♀, London : Kensington Palace, 16.IV.2002, larvae on Q. ilex , el, M. Honey ( BMNH) ; 4♁, 4♀, London: Nat. Hist.