I found these mines today on a Hypericum sp., which I believe were made by Ectoedemia septembrella. Unfortunately they have all been vacated, so presumably the moths emerged last year (the leaves were last year's growth).
If my iD is correct, should I record them against today's date, with an appropriate comment? Or should I record them against a 2023 date range? Or ignore them and wait until I find an active mine-probably later this year?
Thanks
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Hi Phil,
ReplyDeleteYes, looks good for Fomoria (was Ectoedemia) septembrella with, in each case, that gallery leading to a blotch. Luckily there is only one other miner known from Hypericum spp (Eucalybites auroguttella) and it isn't that. See:
http://www.leafmines.co.uk/html/Plants/hypericum.htm
With gallery mines it is generally better to take a back-lit photo so that we can see more clearly what is going on inside the mine. I usually do it by taping the leaf to the inside of a window and then taking a picture from indoors looking out with the flash off. Usually the only problem is getting the camera to focus on the leaf rather than something else it can see further away out of the window!
While it is always better to have a larva present, if vacated mines are identifiable (as in this case) they should still be recorded for the date on which you found them. In the moth-specific recording form on iRecord you can choose "Mine" for the stage, or else on the casual recording form choose "Pre-adult", and then in either case add a comment something like "Vacated mines on Hypericum".
Thanks Dave,
ReplyDeleteYes, I usually photograph mines backlit, but decided the structure was clear enough in this case for an easier shot! I use an Anglepoise lamp with the head horizontal but rotated through 180 degrees. I then place a piece of white paper on the shade, so it is backlit, and place the leaf on that. If it is too bright I can add a second sheet of paper, but it usually works with one, and gives a good bright image.