Macrosaccus morrisella
Encyclopedia
The Hog Peanut Moth is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from Manitoba
and Ontario
south and west to Texas
and Colorado
.
The wingspan
is 6–7 mm.
The larva
e feed on Amphicarpaea bracteata
and Strophostyles leiosperma. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine begins as an elongate serpentine track on the underside of the leaflet. This enlarges to an elongate-oval, whitish blotch which eventually becomes strongly tentiform.
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 Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
and Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
south and west to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.
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 6–7 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 Amphicarpaea bracteata
Amphicarpaea bracteata
Amphicarpaea bracteata is an annual to perennial vine in the legume family, native to woodland, thickets, and moist slopes in eastern North America.-Description:Leaves have three leaflets and are held alternately on twining stems....
and Strophostyles leiosperma. 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 begins as an elongate serpentine track on the underside of the leaflet. This enlarges to an elongate-oval, whitish blotch which eventually becomes strongly tentiform.