Phyllonorycter tangerensis
Encyclopedia
Phyllonorycter tangerensis is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from Morocco
.
The larva
e feed on Coronilla
species and Teline linifolia. They mine
the leaves of their host plant.
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 Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
.
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 Coronilla
Coronilla
The genus Coronilla contains Old World shrubs and herbs.Coronilla species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the case-bearers Coleophora coronillae and Coleophora vicinella.Species include:* Coronilla glauca* Coronilla iberica* Coronilla minima* Coronilla...
species and Teline linifolia. 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.