Ectoedemia quadrinotata
Encyclopedia
Ectoedemia quadrinotata is a moth
of the Nepticulidae
family. It is found in Kentucky
and Ohio
.
The wingspan
is 4–5 mm. There are two generations per year, with mines in July and from late August to the middle of October.
The larvae feed on Carpinus caroliniana and Corylus americana
. The mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as a very fine linear mine, usually closely following the midrib or one of the lateral veins. Later, the mine doubles on itself for a short distance before it expands into an irregular pale brownish blotch, which may occupy the entire space between two lateral veins. The blotch often obliterates the earlier linear mine. The larvae are very pale green with a brighter green line of ingested food. The cocoon is brownish, usually with an olive green tinge.
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 Nepticulidae
Nepticulidae
Nepticulidae is a family of very small moths with a worldwide distribution. They are characterised by eyecaps over the eyes . These pigmy moths or midget moths, as they are commonly known, include the smallest of all living moths, with a wingspan that can be as little as 3 mm...
family. It is found in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
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 4–5 mm. There are two generations per year, with mines in July and from late August to the middle of October.
The larvae feed on Carpinus caroliniana and Corylus americana
Corylus americana
Corylus americana, the American Hazelnut, is a species of the genus Corylus that is native to eastern North America.It is a medium to large shrub that under some conditions can take the form of a small tree...
. The 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 very fine linear mine, usually closely following the midrib or one of the lateral veins. Later, the mine doubles on itself for a short distance before it expands into an irregular pale brownish blotch, which may occupy the entire space between two lateral veins. The blotch often obliterates the earlier linear mine. The larvae are very pale green with a brighter green line of ingested food. The cocoon is brownish, usually with an olive green tinge.