Phyllonorycter similis
Encyclopedia
Phyllonorycter similis is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from Japan
(Hokkaidō, Honshū, Kyūshū, Satunan and Shikoku), Korea
and the Russian Far East
.
The larva
e feed on Quercus acutissima, Quercus cerris, Quercus crispula, Quercus dentata, Quercus mongolica
and Quercus serrata. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine has the form of an elongate-elliptical blotch mine on the lower surface of the leaf.
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 Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(Hokkaidō, Honshū, Kyūshū, Satunan and Shikoku), Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and the Russian Far East
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
.
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 acutissima, Quercus cerris, Quercus crispula, Quercus dentata, Quercus mongolica
Quercus mongolica
Quercus mongolica, commonly known as Mongolian Oak, is a species of oak native to Japan, southern Kuriles, Sakhalin, Manchuria, Korea, eastern Mongolia, and eastern Siberia. The species can grow to be 30 m tall....
and Quercus serrata. 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 an elongate-elliptical blotch mine on the lower surface of the leaf.