Bucculatrix thurberiella
Encyclopedia
The Cotton Leaf Perforator (Bucculatrix thurberiella) is a moth
of the Bucculatricidae
family. It is native to the south-western United States
and northern Mexico
. It is an introduced species in Hawaii
.
The larvae feed on Gossypium tomentosum
and Thurberia thespesioides. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine is mainly upper-surface and progresses tortuously, ever widening. When the first instar is about completed an exit hole is cut through the upper epidermis and the larva leaves the inner tissue. When the feeding activities of this stage are finished the larva weaves a tiny circular web over some slight depression on the underside of the leaf. Second and third instar larvae feed on either the upper or the under surface.
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 native to the south-western United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and northern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It is an introduced species in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
The larvae feed on Gossypium tomentosum
Gossypium tomentosum
Gossypium tomentosum, commonly known as Mao or Hawaiian cotton, is a species of cotton plant that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It inhabits low shrublands at elevations from sea level to . Mao is a shrub that reaches a height of and a diameter of...
and Thurberia thespesioides. 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 mainly upper-surface and progresses tortuously, ever widening. When the first instar is about completed an exit hole is cut through the upper epidermis and the larva leaves the inner tissue. When the feeding activities of this stage are finished the larva weaves a tiny circular web over some slight depression on the underside of the leaf. Second and third instar larvae feed on either the upper or the under surface.