Cosmopterix turbidella
Encyclopedia
Cosmopterix turbidella is a moth
of the Cosmopterigidae
family. It is known from the Canary Islands
.
The wingspan
is 7-8 mm.
The larvae feed on Forsskalea angustifolia, Gesnouinia arborea, Parietaria debilis
and Parietaria officinalis
. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as a corridor that runs from the midrib in the direction of the leaf margin, following a lateral vein. Later, the corridor widens into an irregular blotch. Most frass
is ejected through a hole in the first section of the mine. Much of the frass grains are captured by spinning under the leaf. A single larva makes several mines.
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 Cosmopterigidae
Cosmopterigidae
Cosmopterigidae is a family of insects in the Lepidoptera order. These are small moths with narrow wings whose tiny larvae feed internally on the leaves, seeds, stems, etc of their host plants. There are about 1,500 described species...
family. It is known from the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
.
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 7-8 mm.
The larvae feed on Forsskalea angustifolia, Gesnouinia arborea, Parietaria debilis
Parietaria debilis
Parietaria debilis, commonly known as Pellitory or Native Pellitory, is a herb native to Australia and New Zealand.-Description:It grows as an annual herb from 7 to 40 centimetres in height, with green or white flowers...
and Parietaria officinalis
Parietaria officinalis
Parietaria officinalis, the Pellitory-of-the-wall, also known as lichwort, is a plant of the nettle family. Its leaves, however, are non-stinging. The plant grows on rubbish and on walls, hence the name...
. 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 starts as a corridor that runs from the midrib in the direction of the leaf margin, following a lateral vein. Later, the corridor widens into an irregular blotch. Most 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...
is ejected through a hole in the first section of the mine. Much of the frass grains are captured by spinning under the leaf. A single larva makes several mines.