35.108 Gnorimoschema streliciella (Herrich-Schäffer, 1854)
Psoricoptera gibbosella <<Gnorimoschema streliciella>> Scrobipalpa acuminatella
Status and Distribution
Extinct, with the last known record in Britain in 1909. Searches in the summers of 1996 and 1997 failed to locate any moths and much of the likely area has deteriorated or been lost due to enclosed cattle grazing and the establishment of a landfill site.
All confirmed records have been from Granish Moor near Aviemore in the period 1907 to 1909.
National Status: Extinct
Bradley & Fletcher no: 824
Provisional map
NHMSYS0000502746
Pupa
Set Specimens
Photographs of a set male and female can be seen on the Natural History Museum, Cockayne collection website:
Foodplant and Larval Feeding Signs
Foodplant unknown in Britain.
On the continent, it had been suggested the moth was associated with Thymus sp., especially Thymus serpyllum (wild thyme), but in 2003 Antennaria dioica (mountain everlasting) was confirmed as the larval foodplant in Europe. The moths in the Aviemore area were found in areas burnt the previous year.
In Europe the larva lives "under the ground surface in a silken gallery mining leaves from the underside".
Habitat
Mixed dry heathland, possibly that has been burnt in the previous year.
Finding the Moth
Larva: unknown in the British Isles. In Europe the larva lives "under the ground surface in a silken gallery mining leaves from the underside". These mines resemble that of Scrobipalpa murinella. The suggestion is that it seems possible the ground should be sandy and not too mossy as the larva makes sandy tubes on the ground.
Adult: further visits to areas of ungrazed, burnt (in the previous year), dry heathland in the Aviemore area where mountain everlasting (and also perhaps golden-rod and thyme) occur from mid-June to early July to look for the adult moth would be worthwhile.
Similar Species
The species was originally misidentified as a 'very fine form' of Teleiodes sequax, which does occur in the Aviemore area. However G. streliciella is larger (14 - 15mm v 11 - 14mm), darker and has orange-brown surrounded black spots in the middle of the forewing.
It has been noted by R. J. Heckford (Ent. Gaz. 46:283) that the female genitalia portrayed as G. streliciella in Pierce and Metcalfe (1935) are of Exoteleia dodecella.
June
Very little data is available with the moths being found only in 1907 and 1909 between 14th June and 1st July.