Acrolepia nothocestri
Encyclopedia
Acrolepia nothocestri is a moth
of the Acrolepiidae
family. It is endemic to Oahu
.
The larvae feed on Nothocestrum longifolium
. They mine
the leaves of their host plant.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Acrolepiidae
Acrolepiidae
The Acrolepiidae family of moths are also known as False Diamondback moths.Caterpillars are typically 10 to 12 mm in length and spotted. Adults have a wingspan between 16 and 18 mm and are generally nocturnal.-Species:Some representative species are:...
family. It is endemic to Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
.
The larvae feed on Nothocestrum longifolium
Nothocestrum longifolium
Longleaf aiea is a species of tree in the nightshade family, Solanaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It can be found in mesic and wet forests at elevations of on the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Oahu, Kauai. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre...
. They mine
Leaf miner
Leaf miner is a term used to describe the larvae of many different species of insect which live in and eat the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths , sawflies and flies , though some beetles and wasps also exhibit this behavior.Like Woodboring beetles, leaf...
the leaves of their host plant.