Phyllonorycter kearfottella
Encyclopedia
Phyllonorycter kearfottella is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from the United States
(including Connecticut, New Jersey, Kentucky, Maine, New York and Washington).
The wingspan
is about 7 mm.
The larva
e feed on Castanea
species, including Castanea dentata, Castanea mollissima
and Castanea sativa. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine has the form of a rather small elongate mine on the underside of the leaf. It is placed between two veins. The pupa is enclosed in a loose, semi-transparent silken 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...
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 the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(including Connecticut, New Jersey, Kentucky, Maine, New York and Washington).
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 about 7 mm.
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 Castanea
Castanea
Castanea can mean:* Castanea , a plant genus including the chestnuts and chinkapins* Castanea, Pennsylvania, a census-designated place * Castanea Township, Pennsylvania, which surrounds the CDP of the same name...
species, including Castanea dentata, Castanea mollissima
Castanea mollissima
Castanea mollissima is a member of the family Fagaceae, and a species of chestnut native to China.- Description :...
and Castanea sativa. 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 rather small elongate mine on the underside of the leaf. It is placed between two veins. The pupa is enclosed in a loose, semi-transparent silken cocoon.