Caloptilia porphyretica
Encyclopedia
The Blueberry Leafminer (Caloptilia porphyretica) is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from the United States
(North Carolina, New Jersey).
It is a frequent pest in commercial highbush blueberries in New Jersey. There are at least three generations per year.
The larva
e feed on Rhododendron
species, including Rhododendron occidentale
. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine has the form of a tentiform mine on the underside of the leaf. The lower epidermis is wrinkled. Later, the leaf is rolled from the tip downward onto the underside 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 the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(North Carolina, New Jersey).
It is a frequent pest in commercial highbush blueberries in New Jersey. There are at least three generations per year.
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 Rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
species, including Rhododendron occidentale
Rhododendron occidentale
Rhododendron occidentale, the Western Azalea, is one of two deciduous Rhododendron species native to western North America . The Western Azalea is known to occur as far north as Bandon, Oregon. It is found as far south as the Palomar Mountain area in southern California...
. 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 a tentiform mine on the underside of the leaf. The lower epidermis is wrinkled. Later, the leaf is rolled from the tip downward onto the underside of the leaf.