Leaf blotch miner moth

The leaf blotch miner moth (Acrocercops brongniardella) is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found in Europe, including Turkey.^[1]

Leaf blotch miner moth
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Gracillariidae
Genus:	Acrocercops
Species:	A. brongniardella
Binomial name
Acrocercops brongniardella Fabricius, 1798
Synonyms
List Acrocercops infuscatus Caradja, 1920 Elachista curtisella Duponchel, [1840] Acrocercops disconigrellum Klemensiewicz, 1899 Coriscium qercetellum Zeller, 1839 Elachista quercetella Duponchel, [1843] Coriscium quercetellum Zeller, 1847 Gracillaria substriga Haworth, 1828

The wingspan is 8–10 mm The moth has light to dark brown forewings with a pure white pattern of oblique bars edged with black.The cilia are grey.The head is brownish. The antennae are longer than forewing length. The hindwings are brownish-grey.^[2] Meyrick describes it " O. brongniardellum, F. 8-10 mm. Posterior tibiae bristly above. Forewings fuscous, sprinkled with yellow-whitish; four slender oblique white fasciae, edged with black, more strongly anteriorly, last three interrupted near dorsum; a black projecting hook in apical cilia. Hindwings dark grey. Larva pale whitish-green; dorsal line darker; head pale brown: in blotches in leaves of oak; 6,7. " ^[3][4]

The adults sit with their front legs stretched out to hold the head and thorax slanted up. The moths can be found in any month, probably in one extended brood.^[5]

Larva

The larvae feed on Quercus species including holm oak (Quercus ilex), feeding gregariously in the upper epidermis making conspicuous white blotches.^[5]