A recent paper by Voith et al (2023) has shown that Phyllocnistis saligna is in fact a complex of four species; discovered by barcoding specimens from Salix mines.
P. ramulicola and P. asiatica are both confirmed as UK species but what of P. saligna and P. triandricola?
The complex: Phyllocnistis saligna - Unknown. Formerly considered widespread across Norfolk, especially in the Broads. Phyllocnistis ramulicola - Discovered in 2006 as new to science in Havant Thicket, Hampshire. Phyllocnistis asiatica - Added to the UK list in 2024, found in the UK at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire in 2018. Phyllocnistis triandricola - Unknown.
Determination by dissection of the genitalia of female moths or morphology of the leafmines is required.
The specifics for dissection and Leafmine morphology to enable identification of this complex is currently under review.
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