About Orchestes pilosus (J.C.Fabricius, 1781)
Orchestes pilosus is a species of beetle in the Curculionidae family, native to Europe. It was first formally described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1781. The larvae of this beetle develop as leaf miners, feeding within the leaves of oak trees (Quercus species). The mines created by the larvae are located at the edge of a leaf, between two leaf lobes, and can be found between April and June. The specific oak species that host these larvae are Turkey oak (Quercus cerris), holm oak (Quercus ilex), sessile oak (Quercus petraea), downy oak (Quercus pubescens), and pedunculate oak (Quercus robur). Mines of the species Dyseriocrania subpurpurella are similar in appearance to those of Orchestes pilosus, but mature Dyseriocrania subpurpurella mines are much larger, lighter in color. The difference in color occurs because frass (waste) from Orchestes pilosus larvae adheres to the inner surface of the mine.
