''Dialectica scalariella'' (echium leaf miner) is a

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

of the family

Gracillariidae Gracillariidae is an important family of insects in the order Lepidoptera and the principal family of leaf miners that includes several economic, horticultural or recently invasive pest species such as the horse-chestnut leaf miner, ''Cameraria ...

. It is found from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

to the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and the

Balkan Peninsula The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

. Recently an imago was found in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

. It was introduced in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

for the biological control of the weed ''

Echium plantagineum ''Echium plantagineum'', commonly known as purple viper's-bugloss, Paterson's curse or Salvation Jane, is a species of the genus '' Echium'' native to western and southern Europe (from southern England south to Iberia and east to the Crimea), no ...

'' and has since spread to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. The larvae feed on ''

Anchusa strigosa ''Anchusa strigosa'' is a non-succulent species of herbaceous plants in the Boraginaceae family endemic to the Eastern Mediterranean regions, particularly Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and Iran. It is known widely by its common ...

'', ''

Borago ''Borago'', or borage, is a genus of five species of herbs native to the Mediterranean, with one species, ''Borago officinalis'', cultivated and naturalized throughout the world. Uses ''Borago officinalis'' is used medicinal herb, medicinally, i ...

'', ''

Cynoglossum creticum ''Cynoglossum creticum'' is a plant in the family Boraginaceae. It is native to the Mediterranean Basin, including the island of Crete. It is also found as an invasive plant in the US states of Texas and Missouri Missouri (''see #Etym ...

'', '' Echium aculeatum'', '' Echium giganteum'', ''

'', ''

Echium vulgare ''Echium vulgare'', known as viper's bugloss and blueweed,Dickinson, T.; Metsger, D.; Bull, J.; & Dickinson, R. (2004) ROM Field Guide to Wildflowers of Ontario. Toronto:Royal Ontario Museum, p. 203. is a species of flowering plant in the borag ...

'', '' Myosotis latifolia'' and ''

Symphytum officinale ''Symphytum officinale'' is a perennial flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae. Along with thirty four other species of ''Symphytum'', it is known as comfrey (from the Latin confervere to 'heal' or literally to 'boil together', referring to u ...

''. They

mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging *Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun M ...

the leaves of their host plant.

External links

*
Australian Insects

Plant Parasites of Europe
Dialectica (moth) Lepidoptera used as pest control agents Moths described in 1850 Moths of Australia Moths of Europe Moths of New Zealand Moths of Asia Taxa named by Philipp Christoph Zeller {{Acrocercopinae-stub