Vulcaniella grandiferella
Encyclopedia
Vulcaniella grandiferella is a moth
of the Cosmopterigidae
family. It is found in Serbia
, Macedonia
, Greece
, Ukraine
and southern Russia
.
The larvae feed on Salvia aethiopis
and Salvia sclarea. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine is irregularly shaped and is mostly located between two main veins near the leaf base. The larva makes several mines, and spends most of its time outside the mine, in a silken tunnel under the leaf. The frass
is ejected and accumulates near the entrance of the mine. The larvae prefer lower leaves. Pupation takes place outside of the mine, often on the leaf.
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 found in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, Macedonia
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and southern Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
The larvae feed on Salvia aethiopis
Salvia aethiopis
Salvia aethiopis is a species of perennial plant known by the common name Mediterranean sage. It is best known as a noxious weed, particularly in the western United States. It is native to Eurasia and was probably introduced to North America as a contaminant of alfalfa seed. It is a weed of...
and Salvia sclarea. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine is irregularly shaped and is mostly located between two main veins near the leaf base. The larva makes several mines, and spends most of its time outside the mine, in a silken tunnel under the leaf. The 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 and accumulates near the entrance of the mine. The larvae prefer lower leaves. Pupation takes place outside of the mine, often on the leaf.