Philodoria basalis
Encyclopedia
Philodoria basalis is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is endemic to Maui
and Hawaii
.
The larvae feed on Metrosideros
species. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The larvae emerge from the mine to form an oval cocoon, which is located on the outer surface of the dead epidermis of the leaf covering the larval mine. The epidermis is cut around at a slight distance from the cocoon so that it falls easily out of the leaf carrying the cocoon with it.
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 endemic to Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
and Hawaii
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
.
The larvae feed on Metrosideros
Metrosideros
Metrosideros is a genus of approximately 50 trees, shrubs, and vines native to the islands of the Pacific Ocean, from the Philippines to New Zealand and including the Bonin Islands, Polynesia, and Melanesia, with an anomalous outlier in South Africa. Most of the tree forms are small, but some are...
species. 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 larvae emerge from the mine to form an oval cocoon, which is located on the outer surface of the dead epidermis of the leaf covering the larval mine. The epidermis is cut around at a slight distance from the cocoon so that it falls easily out of the leaf carrying the cocoon with it.