Macarostola pontificalis
Encyclopedia
Macarostola pontificalis is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from the Austral Islands
(Rapa and Rurutu).
The larva
e feed on Metrosideros collina
. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as a tortuous serpentine mine, ending in a blotch mine at one edge of the leaf, and filled with frass
. Later, forming a cone.
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 Austral Islands
Austral Islands
The Austral Islands are the southernmost group of islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the South Pacific. Geographically, they consist of two separate archipelagos, namely in the northwest the Tubuai Islands consisting of the Îles Maria, Rimatara, Rurutu, Tubuai...
(Rapa and Rurutu).
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 Metrosideros collina
Metrosideros collina
Metrosideros collina is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae. It is native to the Marquesas Islands, Society Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu. In the Samoa Islands, the plant is indigenous to the islands of Savai'i, Upolu and Tutuila.-Taxonomy:The species was first formally described by...
. 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 tortuous serpentine mine, ending in a blotch mine at one edge of the leaf, and filled with 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...
. Later, forming a cone.