Caloptilia murtfeldtella
Encyclopedia
Caloptilia murtfeldtella is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from the United States
(Missouri, Washington, California, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio).
The wingspan
is about 18 mm.
The larva
e feed on Pentstemon hirsutus, Pentstemon laevigatus and Pentstemon peckii. They create a stem gall. One or more galls may occur per stem, but only one larva inhabits each gall. The galls occur low on the stem. When full-grown, the larva chews a tunnel outwardly through almost the entire wall of the gall, leaving only the external epidermal layer as a round, externally-visible window. It then spins a cocoon, one end of which is anchored to the bottom end of the gall, the other end is spun so as to encircle the window. The species overwinters in the adult stage.
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 the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(Missouri, Washington, California, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio).
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 about 18 mm.
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 Pentstemon hirsutus, Pentstemon laevigatus and Pentstemon peckii. They create a stem gall. One or more galls may occur per stem, but only one larva inhabits each gall. The galls occur low on the stem. When full-grown, the larva chews a tunnel outwardly through almost the entire wall of the gall, leaving only the external epidermal layer as a round, externally-visible window. It then spins a cocoon, one end of which is anchored to the bottom end of the gall, the other end is spun so as to encircle the window. The species overwinters in the adult stage.