Artifodina japonica
Encyclopedia
Artifodina japonica is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from Japan
(Honshū, Shikoku).
The wingspan
is 7.5–11 mm (0.295275590551181–0.433070866141732 ).
The larva
e feed on Myrsine seguinii. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. In early stages, the mine is narrow, linear, interparenchymal, and runs across the leaf from one edge to another twice or thrice, thus the leaf apical to the crossed mines is always discoloured into pale green or yellowish-green. Then, the mine enters into the main leaf-vein towards the apex or runs along the main vein. Sometimes it irregularly runs on the space between the edge and the main vein. In late stages, the mine is broadened into a large, blotchy one of the full-depth type within the discoloured area of the leaf. This type of mine seems to be made by the larvae of tissue-feeding form. Finally, a semitransparent, blotchy mine is seen on the discoloured apical area of the leaf. When full grown, the larva becomes ochre-yellowish with a crimson-reddish, broad, transverse band on each segment, and leaves the mine to pupate through a semicircular slit on the upper surface of the leaf. The cocoon is boat-shaped, with
a few bubbles on the surface.
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 Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(Honshū, Shikoku).
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 7.5–11 mm (0.295275590551181–0.433070866141732 ).
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 Myrsine seguinii. 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. In early stages, the mine is narrow, linear, interparenchymal, and runs across the leaf from one edge to another twice or thrice, thus the leaf apical to the crossed mines is always discoloured into pale green or yellowish-green. Then, the mine enters into the main leaf-vein towards the apex or runs along the main vein. Sometimes it irregularly runs on the space between the edge and the main vein. In late stages, the mine is broadened into a large, blotchy one of the full-depth type within the discoloured area of the leaf. This type of mine seems to be made by the larvae of tissue-feeding form. Finally, a semitransparent, blotchy mine is seen on the discoloured apical area of the leaf. When full grown, the larva becomes ochre-yellowish with a crimson-reddish, broad, transverse band on each segment, and leaves the mine to pupate through a semicircular slit on the upper surface of the leaf. The cocoon is boat-shaped, with
a few bubbles on the surface.