Caloptilia staintoni
Encyclopedia
Caloptilia staintoni is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from the Canary Islands
and Madeira
.
The larva
e feed on Apollonias barbujana, Laurus azorica
, Persea americana and Persea indica
. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a lower-surface, epidermal corridor, reminding of a snail's trail. In the end, the mine widens into a full depth tentiform mine, with loosely dispersed frass
. Older larvae live freely in a leaf cone. Mines are only made on the youngest leaves. Pupation takes place in a shining yellow cocoon.
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 Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
and Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
.
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 Apollonias barbujana, Laurus azorica
Laurus azorica
Laurus azorica is a species of plant in the Lauraceae family, related to laurus nobilis. It is a member of the genus Laurus and is commonly known as Azores Laurel. Laurus is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the Laurel family, Lauraceae...
, Persea americana and Persea indica
Persea indica
Persea indica is a species of plant in the Lauraceae family.It is found in the Azores, Madeira, and Canary Islands in Macaronesia. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Overview:...
. 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 consists of a lower-surface, epidermal corridor, reminding of a snail's trail. In the end, the mine widens into a full depth tentiform mine, with loosely dispersed 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...
. Older larvae live freely in a leaf cone. Mines are only made on the youngest leaves. Pupation takes place in a shining yellow cocoon.