Elachistidae

38.001 Honeysuckle Blotch-miner Perittia obscurepunctella (Stainton, 1848)

Notable B

Similar species:

Forewing: 4 to 5mm

Habitats: Open woodland.

Habits: The moth rests on tree trunks and flies in the afternoon. It occasionally comes to light.

Foodplant: The larva feeds on Honeysuckle. It mines a large full-depth inflated blotch with frass in the centre, appearing as a reddish central spot. The green-grey larva has a dark dorsal line, a dark brown head and divided prothoracic plate. It stays in the leaf until full-fed and ready to pupate. It pupates in a cocoon covered in bark granules on the bark of the foodplant or an adjacent tree.