Blastodacna atra

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Panorpida
Cladus: Amphiesmenoptera
Ordo: Lepidoptera
Subordo: Glossata
Cladus: Coelolepida
Cladus: Myoglossata
Cladus: Neolepidoptera
Infraordo: Heteroneura
Cladus: Eulepidoptera
Cladus: Ditrysia
Cladus: Apoditrysia
Superfamilia: Gelechioidea

Familia: Elachistidae
Subfamilia: Agonoxeninae
Genus: Blastodacna
Species: Blastodacna atra
Name

Blastodacna atra Haworth 1828

Blastodacna atra, the apple pith moth is a moth of the family Elachistidae. It is known from most of Europe and it has been introduced to North America.
Description

The wingspan is 11–13 mm. The head is white. Forewings are narrow, dark fuscous ; a broad white dorsal streak, sprinkled with dark fuscous from base to tornus, with broad triangular indentation at 2/5, including a black scale-tuft ; from apex of this streak a slender whitish fascia to costa before apex, emitting a branch posteriorly in middle and sometimes one anteriorly below it ; a black scale-tuft in disc before this.Hindwings are grey. [2]

Adults are on wing from May to September in western Europe.[3]

The larvae mine inside young shoots of apples (Malus species) and can be found by looking for small heaps of frass. Occasionally there may be a small swelling and the young shoot may die off.[4]

Distribution

The apple pith moth is found in most of Europe. It is an introduced species in North America, where it has been recorded from Massachusetts and Ontario.

References

"Blastodacna atra (Haworth, 1828)". Fauma Europaea. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
Meyrick, E., 1895 A Handbook of British Lepidoptera MacMillan, London pdf Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Keys and description
Kimber, Ian. "39.002 BF906 Apple Pith Moth Blastodacna atra (Haworth, 1828)". UKmoths. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
Ellis, W N. "Blastodacna atra (Haworth, 1828) apple pith moth". Plant Parasites of Europe. Retrieved 15 April 2020.