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Genus Phyllocnistis

Representative Images

Another Tiny Moth - Phyllocnistis Common Aspen Leaf Miner - Hodges #0852 (Phyllocnistis populiella) - Phyllocnistis Unid Leafminer Dtf5 - Phyllocnistis insignis Sanibel Island leaf miner on Parthenocissus quinquefolia D1365 2019 1 - Phyllocnistis ampelopsiella Phyllocnistis liquidambarisella Moth - Phyllocnistis St. Andrews leaf miner on Senecio vulgaris SA1917 2021 2.1 - Phyllocnistis insignis Sanibel Island leaf miner on plant unknown D3439 2021 4.1 - Phyllocnistis
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Gracillarioidea (Ribbed Cocoon-maker and Leaf Blotch Miner Moths)
Family Gracillariidae (Leaf Blotch Miner Moths)
Subfamily Phyllocnistinae
Genus Phyllocnistis

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Phyllocnistis Zeller, 1848

Explanation of Names

Generic epithet Phyllocnistis is Greek meaning "leaf scraper." (1)

Numbers

12 species in North America.

Identification

Adult - very tiny; forewing white or pale with dark markings along distal half of costa and near apex; hindwing lance-like with wide fringe of hair-like scales.

Range

Throughout much of United States and southern Canada. Also represented in several other areas of the world.

Food

Larvae mine the leaves of various trees and shrubs.

Remarks

P. citrella is considered a pest of Citrus trees in several areas of the world.

See Also

Some of the white Phyllonorycter species are similar but have a prominent bushy tuft of scales on the head, whereas the head vestiture of Phyllocnistis is slicked down and shiny (see comment by Terry Harrison here).

Internet References

live images of all life stages of P. citrella, plus description, foodplants, distribution, control (Don Herbison-Evans and Stella Crossley, U. of Technology, Australia)
live adult and leaf mine images of P. populiella (Jeremy Tatum, Butterflies and Moths of Southern Vancouver Island)
Wikipedia
Zookeys. Biology and systematics of the New World Phyllocnistis Zeller leafminers of the avocado genus Persea (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae)

Works Cited

1.An accentuated list of the British Lepidoptera, with hints on the derivation of the names.
Anonymous. 1858. The Entomological Societies of Oxford and Cambridge.
Contributed by tom murray on 7 January, 2007 - 8:50pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Robin McLeod, ceiseman, Randy Hardy
Last updated 2 November, 2015 - 3:31pm

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