Genus Marmara

Marmara Clemens, 1863; Proc. Ent. Soc. Philad. 2: 6; TS: Marmara salictella Clemens

Synonym: Aesyle Chambers, 1875

Etymology not explicated by Clemens; the name is shared with Marmara Island and the surrounding Sea of Marmara connecting the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea. In antiquity, Marmara Island, then known as Proikonesos (Προικόνησος) was known for the white marble quarried there; the island’s modern name derives from the Greek for marble, marmaros (μάρμαρος). Clemens presumably took inspiration in naming the genus from the “froth-like globules, which resemble minute pearls,” with which the larva covers the exterior of the cocoon.

20 described species in North America and 5 in South America; numerous others remain undescribed.

Head vestiture is smooth, antennae basal joint thick. Labial palpi slender and moderately long, extending upward and outward, pointed.

Larvae of most species are stem/bark miners; a few mine in leaves or fruits.

Eiseman, Charles S., Donald R. Davis, Julia A. Blyth, David L. Wagner, Michael W. Palmer, and Tracy S. Feldman. 2017. A new species of Marmara (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae: Marmarinae), with an annotated list of known hostplants for the genus. Zootaxa 4337(2):198-222.