Prays oleae
Encyclopedia
The Olive Moth is a moth
of the Yponomeutidae family. It is found in Southern Europe
(the Mediterranean Region) and North Africa
.
The wingspan
is 11-15 mm.
The larvae are a pest on Olea europaea. Other recorded foodplants include Phillyrea
, Jasmine
and Ligustrum
. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine initially consists of an upper-surface, short, narrow corridor. Later, in early spring, it may abandon this mine and create an irregular full depth blotch elsewhere on the leaf, or it may continue the corridor into a blotch. Most frass
is ejected through a hole in the mine. Part of this frass is captured in spinning at the leaf underside.
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 Yponomeutidae family. It is found in Southern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(the Mediterranean Region) and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
.
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 11-15 mm.
The larvae are a pest on Olea europaea. Other recorded foodplants include Phillyrea
Phillyrea
Phillyrea is a genus of two species of flowering plants in the family Oleaceae, native to the Mediterranean region, the Canary Islands and Madeira....
, Jasmine
Jasmine
Jasminum , commonly known as jasmines, is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family . It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the Old World...
and Ligustrum
Ligustrum
Ligustrum is a genus of about forty species of erect, deciduous or evergreen shrubs, sometimes forming small or medium-sized trees. They are now all known by the common name of privet.-Selected 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 mine initially consists of an upper-surface, short, narrow corridor. Later, in early spring, it may abandon this mine and create an irregular full depth blotch elsewhere on the leaf, or it may continue the corridor into a blotch. Most frass
Frass
Frass is the fine powdery material phytophagous insects pass as waste after digesting plant parts. It causes plants to excrete chitinase due to high chitin levels, it is a natural bloom stimulant, and has high nutrient levels. Frass is known to have abundant amoeba, beneficial bacteria, and fungi...
is ejected through a hole in the mine. Part of this frass is captured in spinning at the leaf underside.