Parectopa albicostella
Encyclopedia
Parectopa albicostella is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from Canada
(Québec) and the United States
(Utah, Maine and Vermont). It was described by A.F. Braun in 1925.
The larva
e feed on Melilotus and Vicia
species. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The starts as a white upperside mine, running along the midrib. Later, irregular projections cover the greater part of the leaf surface.
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 the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(Utah, Maine and Vermont). It was described by A.F. Braun in 1925.
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 Melilotus and Vicia
Vicia
Vicia is a genus of about 140 species of flowering plants commonly known as vetches. It is in the legume family . Member species are native to Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Africa. Some other genera of their subfamily Faboideae also have names containing "vetch", for example the...
species. 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 starts as a white upperside mine, running along the midrib. Later, irregular projections cover the greater part of the leaf surface.