Leucoptera astragali
Encyclopedia
Leucoptera astragali is a moth
in the Lyonetiidae
family. It is found in Portugal
and Tunisia
.
The larvae feed on Astragalus lusitanicus. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as a blotch, the end of which occupies a large part of the leaflet. The mine is enlarged in a concentric pattern. There is much granular frass
, that is glued to the upper epidermis and gives most of the central area of the mine a dark appearance. The full-grown larvae make a semicircular exit slit in the upper epidermis to leave the mine. Pupation takes place within a 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...
in the Lyonetiidae
Lyonetiidae
Lyonetiidae is a family of moths. These are small, slender moths, the wingspan rarely exceeding 1 cm. The very narrow forewings, held folded backwards covering the hindwings and abdomen, often have pointed apices noticeably up- or down-turned. The larvae are leaf miners.The families Bucculatricidae...
family. It is found in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
and Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
.
The larvae feed on Astragalus lusitanicus. 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 starts as a blotch, the end of which occupies a large part of the leaflet. The mine is enlarged in a concentric pattern. There is much granular 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...
, that is glued to the upper epidermis and gives most of the central area of the mine a dark appearance. The full-grown larvae make a semicircular exit slit in the upper epidermis to leave the mine. Pupation takes place within a cocoon.