Chrysocercops squamosa
Encyclopedia
Chrysocercops squamosa is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from Malaysia (Johor and Pahang).
The wingspan
is 5-6.2 mm.
The larva
e feed on Vatica pallida
and Vatica pauciflora
. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as a linear gallery occurring on the lower surface of the leaves. Later, it changes into an interparenchymal blotch usually lying along the leaf-margin. The mining part of leaf is discoloured into brown, sometimes into dark brown in matured condition. Pupation takes place outside of the mine, and usually in a furrow of the breeding case. The cocoon is boat-shaped, ochre-whitish and covered by two to four minute bubbles.
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 Malaysia (Johor and Pahang).
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 5-6.2 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 Vatica pallida
Vatica pallida
Vatica pallida is a species of plant in the Dipterocarpaceae family. It is endemic to Malaysia.It is an Endangered species threatened by habitat loss.-References:* Ashton, P. 1998. . Downloaded on 24 August 2007....
and Vatica pauciflora
Vatica pauciflora
Vatica pauciflora is a species of plant in the Dipterocarpaceae family.-Distribution:Vatica pauciflora is a tree found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. It is common in freshwater swamps and on riparian river banks....
. 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 as a linear gallery occurring on the lower surface of the leaves. Later, it changes into an interparenchymal blotch usually lying along the leaf-margin. The mining part of leaf is discoloured into brown, sometimes into dark brown in matured condition. Pupation takes place outside of the mine, and usually in a furrow of the breeding case. The cocoon is boat-shaped, ochre-whitish and covered by two to four minute bubbles.