Phyllonorycter joannisi
Encyclopedia
Phyllonorycter joannisi is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is found in most of Europe (except Ireland
, the Iberian Peninsula
and the Balkan Peninsula).
The wingspan
is 6.5-9 mm. Adults are on wing in May and August in two generations.
The larva
e feed on Acer platanoides. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. They create a fairly large and rounded mine on the underside of a leaf, between two veins but not necessarily touching both and sometimes situated at the leaf edge. The lower epidermis appears smooth or has several small creases and becomes whitish. There may be several mines in a single 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 found in most of Europe (except Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
and the Balkan Peninsula).
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 6.5-9 mm. Adults are on wing in May and August in two generations.
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 Acer platanoides. 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. They create a fairly large and rounded mine on the underside of a leaf, between two veins but not necessarily touching both and sometimes situated at the leaf edge. The lower epidermis appears smooth or has several small creases and becomes whitish. There may be several mines in a single leaf.