Epicephala orientale
Encyclopedia
Epicephala orientale is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from India
(West Bengal, Karnataka, Meghalaya).
The larva
e feed on Bauhinia
species, including Bauhinia purpurea
and Bauhinia variegata
. They probably 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 India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
(West Bengal, Karnataka, Meghalaya).
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 Bauhinia
Bauhinia
Bauhinia is a genus of more than 200 species of flowering plants in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae of the large flowering plant family Fabaceae, with a pantropical distribution. The genus was named after the Bauhin brothers, Swiss-French botanists....
species, including Bauhinia purpurea
Bauhinia purpurea
Bauhinia purpurea is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to South China and Southeast Asia. Common names include Hong Kong Orchid Tree, Purple camel's foot, and Hawaiian orchid tree.-Description:...
and Bauhinia variegata
Bauhinia variegata
Bauhinia variegata is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to southeastern Asia, from southern China west to Pakistan and India. Common names include Orchid tree, Camel's Foot Tree and Mountain-ebony...
. They probably 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.