Phyllonorycter harrisella
Encyclopedia
Phyllonorycter harrisella is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is found in all of Europe
, except the Balkan Peninsula and the Mediterranean Islands
.
The wingspan
is 7-9 mm. Adults are on wing in May and June and again in autumn.
The larva
e feed on Quercus cerris, Quercus cerris austriaca, Quercus dalechampii, Quercus faginea, Quercus frainetto, Quercus macranthera
, Quercus petraea, Quercus pontica, Quercus pubescens and Quercus robur. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. They create a small, lower-surface tentiform mine with one strong fold in the lower epidermis. The pupa is made in a tough white cocoon that is attached to both the floor and the roof of the mine.
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 in 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...
, except the Balkan Peninsula and the Mediterranean Islands
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
.
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 7-9 mm. Adults are on wing in May and June and again in autumn.
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 Quercus cerris, Quercus cerris austriaca, Quercus dalechampii, Quercus faginea, Quercus frainetto, Quercus macranthera
Quercus macranthera
Quercus macranthera, commonly called the Caucasian Oak, or the Persian Oak, is a species of deciduous tree native to Western Asia Quercus macranthera, commonly called the Caucasian Oak, or the Persian Oak, is a species of deciduous tree native to Western Asia Quercus macranthera, commonly called...
, Quercus petraea, Quercus pontica, Quercus pubescens and Quercus robur. 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. They create a small, lower-surface tentiform mine with one strong fold in the lower epidermis. The pupa is made in a tough white cocoon that is attached to both the floor and the roof of the mine.