Deoptilia heptadeta
Encyclopedia
Deoptilia heptadeta is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from Japan
(the Ryukyu Islands, Kyūshū, Shikoku, Honshū, Tusima, the Amami Islands) and Taiwan
.
The wingspan
is 6.3-8.3 mm.
The larva
e feed on Mallotus japonicus. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine usually occurs upon the upper surface of the leaf; at first it is an entirely epidermal and linear gallery, whitish with a glassy luster and irregularly curved, sometimes occurring along the leaf-veins. Soon after, it is broadened into a moderate blotch, sometimes elongated along a leaf-vein or situated on a space between two veins. It is whitish and blister-like. In the later stages the larva continues feeding on the leaf-tissue within the blotchy mine. Finally, it leaves only upper and lower epidermal layers of the leaf. Grains of the frass
are scattered in the mine cavity, usually along the margin. When fully grown, the larva changes body colour into crimson-red and leaves the mine for a pupating site through a semicircular slit. The cocoon is often found on the leaf-surface. It is boat-shaped, with a few minute 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...
(the Ryukyu Islands, Kyūshū, Shikoku, Honshū, Tusima, the Amami Islands) and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
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 6.3-8.3 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 Mallotus japonicus. 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 usually occurs upon the upper surface of the leaf; at first it is an entirely epidermal and linear gallery, whitish with a glassy luster and irregularly curved, sometimes occurring along the leaf-veins. Soon after, it is broadened into a moderate blotch, sometimes elongated along a leaf-vein or situated on a space between two veins. It is whitish and blister-like. In the later stages the larva continues feeding on the leaf-tissue within the blotchy mine. Finally, it leaves only upper and lower epidermal layers of the leaf. Grains of the frass
Frass
Frass is the fine powdery material phytophagous insects pass as waste after digesting plant parts. It causes plants to excrete chitinase due to high chitin levels, it is a natural bloom stimulant, and has high nutrient levels. Frass is known to have abundant amoeba, beneficial bacteria, and fungi...
are scattered in the mine cavity, usually along the margin. When fully grown, the larva changes body colour into crimson-red and leaves the mine for a pupating site through a semicircular slit. The cocoon is often found on the leaf-surface. It is boat-shaped, with a few minute bubbles on the surface.