Phyllonorycter ostryaefoliella
Encyclopedia
Phyllonorycter ostryaefoliella is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from Canada
(Nova Scotia, Ontario and Québec) the United States
(including Connecticut, Illinois, New York, Kentucky, Maine and Vermont).
The wingspan
is 6-6.5 mm.
The larva
e feed on Ostrya
species, including Ostrya virginiana
and Ostrya virginica. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine has the form of a tentiform mine on the underside the leaf. They are usually made near the margin and are much wrinkled when mature. The larvae, which are of the cylindrical type and pale yellow, spin oval cocoons of frass
and silk in which pupation takes place.
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 Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(Nova Scotia, Ontario and Québec) the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(including Connecticut, Illinois, New York, Kentucky, Maine and Vermont).
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 6-6.5 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 Ostrya
Ostrya
Ostrya is a genus of eight to ten small deciduous trees belonging to the birch family Betulaceae. Its common name is Hophornbeam in American English and Hop-hornbeam in British English. It may also be called ironwood, a name shared with a number of other plants.The genus is native in southern...
species, including Ostrya virginiana
Ostrya virginiana
Ostrya virginiana , is a species of Ostrya native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Manitoba and eastern Wyoming, southeast to northern Florida and southwest to eastern Texas and northeastern Mexico...
and Ostrya virginica. 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 mine on the underside the leaf. They are usually made near the margin and are much wrinkled when mature. The larvae, which are of the cylindrical type and pale yellow, spin oval cocoons of 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...
and silk in which pupation takes place.