Phyllonorycter populiella
Encyclopedia
The Poplar Leafminer Moth (Phyllonorycter populiella) is a moth
of the Gracillariidae
family. It is known from Canada (British Columbia) and the United States
(Kentucky, Ohio, Washington, Maine and New York).
The wingspan
is 6-7 mm.
The larva
e feed on Populus species, including Populus alba, Populus balsamifera
, Populus dilatata, Populus grandidentata
, Populus nigra and Populus tremuloides
. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine has the form of a tentiform mine on the underside of the leaf. The mines are exceedingly small and oval. An indistinct fold extends through the long axis. They are scarcely visible on the lower side, owing to the peculiar tomentose texture of the leaf, and on the upperside may be distinguished by the speckled appearance of the leaf, caused by the larva eating the parenchyma in spots. The pupa is not enclosed in a cocoon, but its anal end is attached to a small button of silk toward one end of the roof of the mine.
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 (British Columbia) and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(Kentucky, Ohio, Washington, Maine and New York).
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 6-7 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 Populus species, including Populus alba, Populus balsamifera
Populus balsamifera
Populus balsamifera, commonly called balsam poplar, bamtree, eastern balsam poplar, hackmatack, tacamahac poplar, tacamahaca,...
, Populus dilatata, Populus grandidentata
Populus grandidentata
Populus grandidentata — the large-tooth, or big-tooth, aspen — is a deciduous tree native to eastern North America.-Name:...
, Populus nigra and Populus tremuloides
Populus tremuloides
Populus tremuloides is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, commonly called quaking aspen, trembling aspen, American aspen, and Quakies,. The trees have tall trunks, up to 25 metres, with smooth pale bark, scarred with black. The glossy green leaves, dull beneath, become golden...
. 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. The mines are exceedingly small and oval. An indistinct fold extends through the long axis. They are scarcely visible on the lower side, owing to the peculiar tomentose texture of the leaf, and on the upperside may be distinguished by the speckled appearance of the leaf, caused by the larva eating the parenchyma in spots. The pupa is not enclosed in a cocoon, but its anal end is attached to a small button of silk toward one end of the roof of the mine.