Neil Sherman noticed some leaf mines on the London plane at the Suffolk College, Ipswich (TM171443) on the 1st October this year, which he identified as Phyllonorycter platani. This prompted me to have a look at the London plane in Christchurch Park, Ipswich as I walked to the Suffolk Naturalists Conference on the 20th October and there were the mines. Neil also found more mines on London plane in Alexandra Park, Ipswich on the same day.
The mines on the trees in Christchurch Park were quite large and easily noticeable with the usual Phyllonorycter mine form - a fold in the leaf with patches of eaten parenchyma on the leaf. This species forms an underside fold. As this species was only discovered by Maitland Emmet in London in 1990, at a BENHS exhibition I believe, and John Langmaid does not have any records for Suffolk it would appear that this is a new species for the county.
If anyone knows of any London Plane particularly in the West Suffolk vice-county I'd be interested to hear of its location so we can hopefully add this species to that vice-county.
Tony Prichard
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