Eucosmophora ingae
Encyclopedia
Eucosmophora ingae is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from Costa Rica
.
The length of the forewings is 3.1-3.6 mm for males and 3.1-3.4 mm for females.
The larva
e feed on Inga oerstediana and Pithecollobium catenatum. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. On Inga oerstediana, the early mine is serpentine, glassy, and winds about the lamina. Later, it is abruptly enlarged into an irregular blotch. The
upper surface of the mine is nearly translucent, the larvae being visible within the mine through their development. Frequently two to five or more mines may anastamose into a single large blotch. The larva exits through a hemispherical slit in the upper leaf surface. The cocoon is orange-brown.
, of the
larval 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 Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
.
The length of the forewings is 3.1-3.6 mm for males and 3.1-3.4 mm for females.
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 Inga oerstediana and Pithecollobium catenatum. 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. On Inga oerstediana, the early mine is serpentine, glassy, and winds about the lamina. Later, it is abruptly enlarged into an irregular blotch. The
upper surface of the mine is nearly translucent, the larvae being visible within the mine through their development. Frequently two to five or more mines may anastamose into a single large blotch. The larva exits through a hemispherical slit in the upper leaf surface. The cocoon is orange-brown.
Etymology
The species name is derived from the generic name, IngaInga
Inga is a genus of small tropical, tough-leaved, nitrogen-fixing trees and shrubs, subfamily Mimosoideae. Ingas leaves are pinnate, and flowers are generally white...
, of the
larval host plant.