Caloptilia belfragella
Encyclopedia
Caloptilia belfragella is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from Quebec
and the United States
(including Texas, Maine, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois and Michigan).
The larva
e feed on Rhus typhina
, Cornus species (including Cornus asperifolia and Cornus drummondii
) and Vaccinium
species. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as an underside tentiform mine that resembles the mine of Phyllonorycter
species. Later instars (in most cases) roll an entire leaf evenly lengthwise, although some individuals do roll a transverse cone as is typical for the genus.
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 Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(including Texas, Maine, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois and Michigan).
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 Rhus typhina
Rhus typhina
The Staghorn Sumac is a deciduous shrub to small tree in the Anacardiaceae or Cashew family, native to eastern North America...
, Cornus species (including Cornus asperifolia and Cornus drummondii
Cornus drummondii
Cornus drummondii, commonly known as the Roughleaf Dogwood, is a small deciduous tree that is native primarily to the Great Plains and Midwestern reigons of the United States. It is also found around the Mississippi River. It is uncommon in the wild, and is mostly found around forest borders...
) and Vaccinium
Vaccinium
Vaccinium is a genus of shrubs or dwarf shrubs in the plant Family Ericaceae. The fruit of many species are eaten by humans and some are of commercial importance, including the cranberry, blueberry, bilberry or whortleberry, lingonberry or cowberry, and huckleberry...
species. 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 starts as an underside tentiform mine that resembles the mine of Phyllonorycter
Phyllonorycter
Phyllonorycter is a genus of moths in the family Gracillariidae.-Diversity:The genus comprises about 400 species, with a worldwide distribution. The vast majority of species are found in the temperate regions, with about 257 species described from the Palaearctic region and 81 from the Nearctic...
species. Later instars (in most cases) roll an entire leaf evenly lengthwise, although some individuals do roll a transverse cone as is typical for the genus.