Acrocercops zorionella
Encyclopedia
Acrocercops zorionella is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from New Zealand
.
The larva
e feed on Coprosma grandiflora, Coprosma lucida, Coprosma retusa, Coprosma robusta and Coprosma tenuifolia. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The larva mines directly into the leaf through the bottom of the egg. The mine starts as a long, slender, slightly tortuous, gradually widening gallery. The first part being on the under-surface of the leaf, close against the cuticle, showing up white and silvery by reflected light. The remainder of the mine, however, is on the upper surface. In the last stage the gallery expands, more or less abruptly, into a large irregular blotch. It usually follows the midrib or margin of the leaf along its greater extent, sometimes being deflected by the coarser veins. In this manner its course may be slightly tortuous, but rarely markedly so. The midrib forms an impassable barrier except at its upper end. The colour of the mine is conspicuously white or light green, sometimes discoloured a bright reddish-brown, but patchy in character. That part of the leaf covering the blotch is, in fleshy leaves, more or less mottled in shades of green according to the closeness of the mine to the outer cuticle. The frass
is exceedingly scanty, black, finely granular, occupies a thin line near one side of the gallery, sometimes abruptly changing from one side to the other. After the first moult the granules are irregularly scattered over the floor of the mine. Leaves are seldom found containing more than two mines.
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 New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
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 Coprosma grandiflora, Coprosma lucida, Coprosma retusa, Coprosma robusta and Coprosma tenuifolia. 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 larva mines directly into the leaf through the bottom of the egg. The mine starts as a long, slender, slightly tortuous, gradually widening gallery. The first part being on the under-surface of the leaf, close against the cuticle, showing up white and silvery by reflected light. The remainder of the mine, however, is on the upper surface. In the last stage the gallery expands, more or less abruptly, into a large irregular blotch. It usually follows the midrib or margin of the leaf along its greater extent, sometimes being deflected by the coarser veins. In this manner its course may be slightly tortuous, but rarely markedly so. The midrib forms an impassable barrier except at its upper end. The colour of the mine is conspicuously white or light green, sometimes discoloured a bright reddish-brown, but patchy in character. That part of the leaf covering the blotch is, in fleshy leaves, more or less mottled in shades of green according to the closeness of the mine to the outer cuticle. The 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...
is exceedingly scanty, black, finely granular, occupies a thin line near one side of the gallery, sometimes abruptly changing from one side to the other. After the first moult the granules are irregularly scattered over the floor of the mine. Leaves are seldom found containing more than two mines.