Phyllocnistis hyperpersea
Encyclopedia
Phyllocnistis hyperpersea is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is found from Nansemond and Virginia Beach Counties in Virginia
, south along the lowland Atlantic coastal region to the Florida
Everglades
. It might have a much wider range, since material which might belong to this species has been recorded from Honduras
and Mexico
.
The length of the forewings is 1.9–2.2 mm. Adults have been recorded in September, December, February, March, April, May and June in southern Florida and in June in southern Virginia.
The larvae feed on Persea americana and Persea borbonia
. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine has the form of a long, slender, serpentine gallery, with a relatively broad, dark brownish, median frass
trail, almost always located on the upper (adaxial) side of the leaf. The egg is deposited on the upper leaf surface away from the midrib. Mines begin on one side of the blade, but after much of one side is consumed, cross over near the leaf apex to the other side. The median frass line is unusually broad for a species of Phyllocnistis, resembling more that of the Chilean genus Prophyllocnistis
. Pupation occurs in the lamina, away from the leaf edge in a circular nidus, similar to that fashioned by Prophyllocnistis. The serpentine portion of the mine begins as a narrow tract of about 0.3 mm wide and gradually enlarges before the pupation chamber to a width of about 2–2.5 mm. The median frass line is one fourth of the mine width in the early instars and gradually broadens to more than half the mine width.
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 found from Nansemond and Virginia Beach Counties in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, south along the lowland Atlantic coastal region to the Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
Everglades
Everglades
The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
. It might have a much wider range, since material which might belong to this species has been recorded from Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
The length of the forewings is 1.9–2.2 mm. Adults have been recorded in September, December, February, March, April, May and June in southern Florida and in June in southern Virginia.
The larvae feed on Persea americana and Persea borbonia
Persea borbonia
Persea borbonia has a variety of common names, among them are redbay, scrubbay, shorebay and swampbay. It is related to Persea americana or the avocado tree. It is an evergreen tree that is native to North America, north of Mexico.-Description:...
. 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 has the form of a long, slender, serpentine gallery, with a relatively broad, dark brownish, median 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...
trail, almost always located on the upper (adaxial) side of the leaf. The egg is deposited on the upper leaf surface away from the midrib. Mines begin on one side of the blade, but after much of one side is consumed, cross over near the leaf apex to the other side. The median frass line is unusually broad for a species of Phyllocnistis, resembling more that of the Chilean genus Prophyllocnistis
Prophyllocnistis
Prophyllocnistis is a genus of moths in the family Gracillariidae....
. Pupation occurs in the lamina, away from the leaf edge in a circular nidus, similar to that fashioned by Prophyllocnistis. The serpentine portion of the mine begins as a narrow tract of about 0.3 mm wide and gradually enlarges before the pupation chamber to a width of about 2–2.5 mm. The median frass line is one fourth of the mine width in the early instars and gradually broadens to more than half the mine width.