Phyllocnistis unipunctella
Encyclopedia
Phyllocnistis unipunctella is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from all of Europe
.
The wingspan
is 7–8 mm. Adults are on wing in July and from September onwards, sometimes overwintering in haystacks.
The larva
e feed on Populus balsmifera, Populus x canadensis, Populus candicans, Populus deltoides, Populus euphratica, Populus gileadensis, Populus nigra, Populus simonii, Populus suaveolens and Populus trichocarpa
. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of long, broad, epidermal corridor that winds in dense loops over the upper-side of the leaf without crossing itself. The frass is deposited in a continuous, vague central line. The mine ends at the leaf margin, where the corridor is slightly widened, and in which some silk is deposited to create a pupal chamber. When this dries, the leaf margin somewhat folds over. The mine has a strong resemblance to the trail of dried mucus left by a small snail.
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 all of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
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 7–8 mm. Adults are on wing in July and from September onwards, sometimes overwintering in haystacks.
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 Populus balsmifera, Populus x canadensis, Populus candicans, Populus deltoides, Populus euphratica, Populus gileadensis, Populus nigra, Populus simonii, Populus suaveolens and Populus trichocarpa
Populus trichocarpa
Populus trichocarpa is a deciduous broadleaf tree species native to western North America. It is used for timber, and is notable as a model organism in plant biology. Its full genome sequence was published in 2006...
. 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 consists of long, broad, epidermal corridor that winds in dense loops over the upper-side of the leaf without crossing itself. The frass is deposited in a continuous, vague central line. The mine ends at the leaf margin, where the corridor is slightly widened, and in which some silk is deposited to create a pupal chamber. When this dries, the leaf margin somewhat folds over. The mine has a strong resemblance to the trail of dried mucus left by a small snail.