Bedellia oplismeniella
Encyclopedia
Bedellia oplismeniella is a moth
of the Bedelliidae
family. It is endemic to Oahu
and possibly Molokai
and Hawaii
.
The larvae feed on Oplismenus compositus and Panicum torridum. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine is usually positioned lengthwise in the leaf, widening as the larvae grows in size. Full-grown larvae are about 5 mm long and pale green with a mid-dorsal purplish-red stripe. When full-grown, the larva emerges from the leaf, spins a few fibers beside the mid-rib of the leaf, at the base, or in some other partially secluded place, then pupates among these fibers without making a cocoon. The pupa is about 4 mm long and pale yellowish. The pupal period lasts about 8 days.
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 Bedelliidae
Bedelliidae
Bedelliidae is a small family of small, narrow-winged moths; most authorities recognize just a single genus, Bedellia, previously included in the family Lyonetiidae. The family is still included in the Lyonetiidae as the subfamily Bedelliinae by some authors.-Species:-External links:* U.S.A. *...
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...
and possibly Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
and Hawaii
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
.
The larvae feed on Oplismenus compositus and Panicum torridum. 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. The mine is usually positioned lengthwise in the leaf, widening as the larvae grows in size. Full-grown larvae are about 5 mm long and pale green with a mid-dorsal purplish-red stripe. When full-grown, the larva emerges from the leaf, spins a few fibers beside the mid-rib of the leaf, at the base, or in some other partially secluded place, then pupates among these fibers without making a cocoon. The pupa is about 4 mm long and pale yellowish. The pupal period lasts about 8 days.