Caloptilia fraxinella
Encyclopedia
The Ash Leaf Cone Roller Moth (Caloptilia fraxinella) is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from Canada
(Québec, Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan) and the United States
(Michigan, Vermont, Ohio, Connecticut, New York and Maine).
It is considered a significant pest of horticultural ash.
The larva
e feed on Fraxinus species (including Fraxinus americana, Fraxinus mandshurica, Fraxinus nigra
and Fraxinus pennsylvanica) and Ligustrum
species. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The larvae form a typical leaf cone. The species is atypical for the Caloptilia
genus in that the larva pupates within the leaf cone, in a suspended silken cocoon. The species overwinters as an adult.
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...
(Québec, Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan) and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(Michigan, Vermont, Ohio, Connecticut, New York and Maine).
It is considered a significant pest of horticultural ash.
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 Fraxinus species (including Fraxinus americana, Fraxinus mandshurica, Fraxinus nigra
Fraxinus nigra
Fraxinus nigra is a species of Fraxinus native to much of eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, from western Newfoundland west to southeastern Manitoba, and south to Illinois and northern Virginia....
and Fraxinus pennsylvanica) and Ligustrum
Ligustrum
Ligustrum is a genus of about forty species of erect, deciduous or evergreen shrubs, sometimes forming small or medium-sized trees. They are now all known by the common name of privet.-Selected species:...
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 larvae form a typical leaf cone. The species is atypical for the Caloptilia
Caloptilia
Caloptilia is a genus of moths in the family Gracillariidae.-Species:*Caloptilia acericola Kumata, 1966*Caloptilia acericolella Kuznetzov, 1981*Caloptilia aceriella *Caloptilia acerifoliella...
genus in that the larva pupates within the leaf cone, in a suspended silken cocoon. The species overwinters as an adult.