Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
716
717
716 Jasmine moth ( Palpita vitrealis ).
717 Larva of Udea prunalis .
718
Palpita vitrealis (Rossi) ( 715-716 )
syn. P. unionalis (Hübner)
Jasmine moth
A migratory, Asiatic, African and southern European
species, the very active, mainly greenish to yellowish-
green larvae feeding on the shoots of various members
of the Oleaceae. Damage to the new shoots is often
extensive and is sometimes noted in northern Europe on
oleaceous plants such as jasmine ( Jasminum );
infestations are sometimes also found on decorative,
container-grown olive ( Olea europaea ) trees imported
into northern Europe from Italy and other countries
where the pest is endemic. The adults (28-30 mm
wingspan) are mainly white, with a brown leading edge
to each fore wing. In countries such as the British Isles
this species occurs as a rare, non-resident migrant and is
not regarded as a pest.
718 Adult of Udea prunalis .
Trachycera suavella (Zincken)
syn. Numonia suavella (Zincken)
Porphyry knothorn moth
A local but widely distributed insect, associated mainly
in the wild with blackthorn ( Prunus spinosa ) but
occasionally troublesome on ornamental Cotoneaster .
The purplish-red, greyish- to whitish-marked adults
(23-25 mm wingspan) occur in July but, although being
attracted to light, are rarely seen. The larvae feed during
the spring within distinctive whitish, silken galleries
spun on the shoots beneath the leaves; dead leaf
fragments and particles of frass accumulate on these
larval shelters, making them even more conspicuous.
The larvae are dark chestnut-brown, with a brown head,
black prothoracic and anal plates, and a pair of
distinctive dark spots on the second thoracic and the
eighth abdominal segments. Pupation takes place in
June, in a greyish-white cocoon spun either within or
alongside the larval habitation.
Udea prunalis (Denis & Schiffermüller)
( 717-718 )
syn. U. nivealis (Fabricius)
A generally common species, associated mainly with
herbaceous plants but also attacking the foliage of
young ornamental trees and shrubs. The larvae feed
within spun leaves; they occur briefly during the
autumn and then hibernate, completing their
development in the following spring. Individuals (up to
25 mm long) are greenish and shiny, with white
subdorsal lines and a pale head. Adults (22-26 mm
wingspan) are mainly brownish grey; they appear in
June and July.
 
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