Photo © Rob Edmunds

Phyllocnistis saligna

Checklist Number
15.090 [B&F: 0367]

Verification
Record requires retention of specimen until confirmed, and may require dissection. Consult with CMR if unsure

Classification

Family:Gracillariidae
Subfamily:Phyllocnistinae
Genus:Phyllocnistis
Species:saligna
Authority:(Zeller, 1839)

Local in fens, marshes, river-banks and other damp areas throughout southern England. In Hampshire known only from a handful of sites, including Fleet, Greywell Moors, Southsea and Leckford, but perhaps under-recorded. Not recorded from the Isle of Wight to date. Wingspan 6-7 mm. The imago can be separated from other Phyllocnistis only by dissection of the genitalia (females only, males are indistinguishable). Larva mines leaves of Purple Willow Salix purpurea. See the leafmines.co.uk newsletter that describes the mines of the four species in the complex.