Eucosmophora manilkarae
Encyclopedia
Eucosmophora manilkarae is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from Florida
and Texas
.
The length of the forewings is 3.3-3.5 mm for males and 3–4 mm for females.
The larva
e feed on Bumelia celastrina and Manilkara bahamensis. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. On Manilkara bahamensis, the mines occur on the underside of young, yellow-green, still expanding leaves. The serpentine early track often
has a reddish orange frass
stain that occasionally zigzags from side to side. The mine tends to be dirty brown and rather opaque. Often, there are numerous small tears in the mine that may or may not be sealed over by the larva with a thin webbing of silk. The last two instars mine deeply into the parenchyma, causing discoloration which is visible from above. Mature
mines may have an abundance of minute creasing over the lower leaf surface. On Bumelia celastrina, the mine begins as a narrow track that follows a leaf edge or snakes about the lamina. This portion of mine appears almost free of frass except for some subtle staining on the outer mine surface. By the second instar, the mine, often with a dark central channel stained by frass, may repeatedly cross itself, especially in smaller leaves. In the third instar the mine is enlarged into a blotch that occupies most of the lamina. The dark, tacky frass that adheres to the outer mine surface renders most of the mine opaque. In the last two instars, silk
is used to draw the edges of the mine together. Many upper surface mines abort possibly because the larva is unable to draw the leaf edges upward. In lower surface mines the leaf tip is drawn back toward the petiole, lower right leaf. So much silk may be deposited within the mine that the lower leaf surface appears white.
, one of two principal larval hosts.
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 Gracillariidae
Gracillariidae
Gracillariidae is an important family of insects in the order Lepidoptera and the principal family of leaf miners that includes several economic, horticultural or recently invasive pest species such as the horse-chestnut leaf miner, Cameraria ohridella....
family. It is known from Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
The length of the forewings is 3.3-3.5 mm for males and 3–4 mm for females.
The larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e feed on Bumelia celastrina and Manilkara bahamensis. 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. On Manilkara bahamensis, the mines occur on the underside of young, yellow-green, still expanding leaves. The serpentine early track often
has a reddish orange 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...
stain that occasionally zigzags from side to side. The mine tends to be dirty brown and rather opaque. Often, there are numerous small tears in the mine that may or may not be sealed over by the larva with a thin webbing of silk. The last two instars mine deeply into the parenchyma, causing discoloration which is visible from above. Mature
mines may have an abundance of minute creasing over the lower leaf surface. On Bumelia celastrina, the mine begins as a narrow track that follows a leaf edge or snakes about the lamina. This portion of mine appears almost free of frass except for some subtle staining on the outer mine surface. By the second instar, the mine, often with a dark central channel stained by frass, may repeatedly cross itself, especially in smaller leaves. In the third instar the mine is enlarged into a blotch that occupies most of the lamina. The dark, tacky frass that adheres to the outer mine surface renders most of the mine opaque. In the last two instars, silk
is used to draw the edges of the mine together. Many upper surface mines abort possibly because the larva is unable to draw the leaf edges upward. In lower surface mines the leaf tip is drawn back toward the petiole, lower right leaf. So much silk may be deposited within the mine that the lower leaf surface appears white.
Etymology
The specific name is derived from the generic name, ManilkaraManilkara
Manilkara is a genus of trees in the family Sapotaceae. Collectively known as manilkara trees, they occur throughout the tropics. A close relative is the genus Pouteria....
, one of two principal larval hosts.