Bucculatrix maritima
Encyclopedia
Bucculatrix maritima is a moth
of the Bucculatricidae
family. It is found in most of Europe
(except the Balkan Peninsula).
The wingspan
is 8-9 mm. Adults are on wing in June and again in August. There are two generations per year.
The larvae feed on Aster tripolium
. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a long, narrow, corridor with brown or black frass
in a central line. The mine may be upper- or lower-surface of even interparenchymatous, and often enters the cortex of the stem. The larva vacates the mine after some time and makes several short full depth blotches. Some larvae keep this habit until short before pupation, others soon begin window-feeding.
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 Bucculatricidae
Bucculatricidae
Bucculatricidae or is a family of moths. This small family has representatives in all parts of the world. Some authors place the group as a subfamily of the family Lyonetiidae....
family. It is found in most of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(except the Balkan Peninsula).
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 8-9 mm. Adults are on wing in June and again in August. There are two generations per year.
The larvae feed on Aster tripolium
Aster tripolium
Aster tripolium is a plant of northern Europe that is confined in its distribution to salt marshes, estuaries and occasionally to inland salt works....
. 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 consists of a long, narrow, corridor with brown or black frass
Frass
Frass is the fine powdery material phytophagous insects pass as waste after digesting plant parts. It causes plants to excrete chitinase due to high chitin levels, it is a natural bloom stimulant, and has high nutrient levels. Frass is known to have abundant amoeba, beneficial bacteria, and fungi...
in a central line. The mine may be upper- or lower-surface of even interparenchymatous, and often enters the cortex of the stem. The larva vacates the mine after some time and makes several short full depth blotches. Some larvae keep this habit until short before pupation, others soon begin window-feeding.