Caloptilia rhodorella
Encyclopedia
Caloptilia rhodorella is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from Canada
(Nova Scotia).
The larva
e feed on Rhododendron canadense
and Rhodora
species. 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 Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(Nova Scotia).
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 canadense
Rhododendron canadense
Rhododendron canadense is a deciduous flowering shrub that is native to northeastern North America. The wild distribution of the rhodora begins at its easternmost extreme in Canada in Labrador and extends into eastern Ontario and the United States, where it has its most famous home in New England...
and Rhodora
Rhodora
Rhodora is a section of subgenus Pentanthera in the genus Rhododendron. It comprises two species, both deciduous shrubs native to eastern North America:*Rhododendron canadense*Rhododendron vaseyi...
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.