Phyllonorycter luzonica
Encyclopedia
Phyllonorycter luzonica is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from the Philippines
(Luzon).
The wingspan
is 4.2-4.7 mm.
The larva
e feed on Celtis species. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine has the form of a tentiform blotch-mine occurring on the lower side of the leaf, usually on the space between lateral veins or sometimes along the leaf margin. It is oblong and 1.5 to 2 mm long and has a contracted lower epidermis with two or three longitudinal wrinkles. The lateral margins of the mine are sometimes united with each other to form a cylindrical chamber in the mine-cavity. Pupation takes place inside the mine without a particular cocoon.
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 the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
(Luzon).
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 4.2-4.7 mm.
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 Celtis species. 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 has the form of a tentiform blotch-mine occurring on the lower side of the leaf, usually on the space between lateral veins or sometimes along the leaf margin. It is oblong and 1.5 to 2 mm long and has a contracted lower epidermis with two or three longitudinal wrinkles. The lateral margins of the mine are sometimes united with each other to form a cylindrical chamber in the mine-cavity. Pupation takes place inside the mine without a particular cocoon.