Philodoria ureraella
Encyclopedia
Philodoria ureraella is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is endemic to Oahu
.
The larvae feed on Urera sandwicensis and Urera kaalae
. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as a small roundish blotch becoming irregular as it becomes larger from the eating of the larva within. Full-grown larvae are about 6 mm long and pale greenish.
The larva emerges to spin a whitish cocoon on the surface of the leaf. The pupa is about 4 mm long and pale greenish. The pupal period lasts about 10 days.
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 Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
.
The larvae feed on Urera sandwicensis and Urera kaalae
Urera kaalae
Urera kaalae is a species of flowering plant in the nettle family, Urticaceae, that is endemic to the island of Oahu in Hawaii. It inhabits slopes and gulches in mesic forests at elevations of . Currently it is restricted to the southern and central parts of the Waianae Mountains...
. 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 small roundish blotch becoming irregular as it becomes larger from the eating of the larva within. Full-grown larvae are about 6 mm long and pale greenish.
The larva emerges to spin a whitish cocoon on the surface of the leaf. The pupa is about 4 mm long and pale greenish. The pupal period lasts about 10 days.