Phyllonorycter diversella
Encyclopedia
Phyllonorycter diversella is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from Nova Scotia
and the United States
(Connecticut, Ohio, Kentucky, Maine and Vermont).
The larva
e feed on Gaylussacia
species (including Gaylussacia baccata
and Gaylussacia frondosa), Oxydendrum species (including Oxydendrum arboreum) and Vaccinium
species (including Vaccinium corymbosum). They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine has the form of a tentiform mine on the underside of the leaf.
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 Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(Connecticut, Ohio, Kentucky, Maine and Vermont).
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 Gaylussacia
Gaylussacia
Gaylussacia is a genus of about fifty species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, native to the Americas, where they occur in eastern North America and in South America in the Andes and the mountains of southeastern Brazil...
species (including Gaylussacia baccata
Gaylussacia baccata
Gaylussacia baccata, the Black Huckleberry, is a common huckleberry found throughout a wide area of northeastern North America. It closely resembles the blueberry plants with which it grows, but can be readily identified by the numerous resin dots on the undersides of the leaves which glitter when...
and Gaylussacia frondosa), Oxydendrum species (including Oxydendrum arboreum) and Vaccinium
Vaccinium
Vaccinium is a genus of shrubs or dwarf shrubs in the plant Family Ericaceae. The fruit of many species are eaten by humans and some are of commercial importance, including the cranberry, blueberry, bilberry or whortleberry, lingonberry or cowberry, and huckleberry...
species (including Vaccinium corymbosum). 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 has the form of a tentiform mine on the underside of the leaf.