Caloptilia mabaella
Encyclopedia
The Hawaiian Ebony Leaf Miner (Caloptilia mabaella) is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is only known from Oahu
.
The larvae feed on Diospyros sandwicensis
, Diospyros hillebrandii
and Diospyros haplostylis. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts near the margin of the leaf and runs towards the base, approaching the margin, then it follows it to near the apex, further to the midrib which it follows downward, soon widening quite regularly to a broad blotch extending nearly to the base of the leaf.
The larva emerges from the mine to construct its cocoon, which is rounded-oval, white and parchment-like. It is about 7 mm long and is made on the surface of the leaf in a depression, or a slight fold at the margin.
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 only known from Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
.
The larvae feed on Diospyros sandwicensis
Diospyros sandwicensis
Diospyros sandwicensis is a species of flowering tree in the ebony family, Ebenaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. Its common name, Lama, also means enlightenment in Hawaiian. Lama is a small to medium-sized tree, with a height of and a trunk diameter of . It can be found in dry, coastal mesic,...
, Diospyros hillebrandii
Diospyros hillebrandii
Diospyros hillebrandii, is a species of flowering tree in the ebony family, Ebenaceae, that is endemic to the islands of Oahu and Kauai in Hawaii. Its common name, Ēlama, also means torch or lamp in Hawaiian. Ēlama is a small to medium-sized tree, reaching a height of . It can be found in...
and Diospyros haplostylis. 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 starts near the margin of the leaf and runs towards the base, approaching the margin, then it follows it to near the apex, further to the midrib which it follows downward, soon widening quite regularly to a broad blotch extending nearly to the base of the leaf.
The larva emerges from the mine to construct its cocoon, which is rounded-oval, white and parchment-like. It is about 7 mm long and is made on the surface of the leaf in a depression, or a slight fold at the margin.