Cremastobombycia ignota
Encyclopedia
Cremastobombycia ignota is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from the United States
(including Illinois, Texas, Kentucky, Maine, New York, Massachusetts, Washington and Ohio).
The wingspan
is 6.5-7.5 mm.
The larva
e feed on Elephantopus
species (including Elephantopus carolinianus), Helianthus
species (including Helianthus annuus and Helianthus giganteus
), Ridania alternifolia, Verbesina species (including Verbesina alternifolia and Verbesina virginica). They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine has the form of a rather large tentiform mine on the underside of the leaf. The loosened epidermis becomes much wrinkled in the later stages, and the mine is distinctly visible on the upper surface as a tubercular swelling. The larva, which is pale in the earlier stages, becomes dark brown just before pupation. The dense white elongate cocoon, ornamented with longitudinal ridges, is suspended in the mine at each end by two silken threads.
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 the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(including Illinois, Texas, Kentucky, Maine, New York, Massachusetts, Washington and Ohio).
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 6.5-7.5 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 Elephantopus
Elephantopus
Elephantopus is a genus of at least twelve species of perennials in the daisy family. Several species are native to the southeastern United States, and at least one is native to India and the Himalayas.- Uses :...
species (including Elephantopus carolinianus), Helianthus
Helianthus
Helianthus L. is a genus of plants comprising 52 species in the Asteraceae family, all of which are native to North America, with some species Helianthus L. is a genus of plants comprising 52 species in the Asteraceae family, all of which are native to North America, with some species Helianthus...
species (including Helianthus annuus and Helianthus giganteus
Helianthus giganteus
Helianthus giganteus , is a species of Helianthus native to the eastern United States and southeastern Canada, from Nova Scotia and Ontario west to Minnesota and south to Mississippi and Georgia....
), Ridania alternifolia, Verbesina species (including Verbesina alternifolia and Verbesina virginica). 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 has the form of a rather large tentiform mine on the underside of the leaf. The loosened epidermis becomes much wrinkled in the later stages, and the mine is distinctly visible on the upper surface as a tubercular swelling. The larva, which is pale in the earlier stages, becomes dark brown just before pupation. The dense white elongate cocoon, ornamented with longitudinal ridges, is suspended in the mine at each end by two silken threads.