Caloptilia superbifrontella
Encyclopedia
Caloptilia superbifrontella is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from Canada
(Québec and Nova Scotia) and the United States
(including Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Vermont, Arkansas and West Virginia).
The wingspan
is about 11 mm.
The larva
e feed on Hamamelis species, including Hamamelis vernalis
, Hamamelis virginica and Hamamelis virginiana
. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The larva starts as a leaf miner, but later feed externally, rolling the leaf into a cone.
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...
(Québec and Nova Scotia) and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(including Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Vermont, Arkansas and West Virginia).
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 11 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 Hamamelis species, including Hamamelis vernalis
Hamamelis vernalis
Hamamelis vernalis is a species of Witch-hazel native to the Ozark Plateau in central North America, in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.It is a deciduous large shrub growing to 4 m tall, spreading by stoloniferous root sprouts...
, Hamamelis virginica and Hamamelis virginiana
Hamamelis virginiana
Hamamelis virginiana is a species of Witch-hazel native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to Minnesota, and south to central Florida to eastern Texas....
. 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 larva starts as a leaf miner, but later feed externally, rolling the leaf into a cone.