Parectopa leucocyma

Parectopa leucocyma
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Gracillariidae
Genus: Parectopa
Species: P. leucocyma
Binomial name
Parectopa leucocyma
(Meyrick, 1889)
Synonyms
  • Acrocercops leucocyma Meyrick, 1889

The kauri leafminer (Parectopa leucocyma) is a moth of the Gracillariidae family. It is known from New Zealand.[1]

The larvae feed on Agathis australis. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts at the tip of the leaf and then heads for the general direction of the petiole, sometimes double-backing along the way. Near the petiole, the host plant forms a gall, creating a sheltered site for the larva to overwinter. After hibernation, the larva chews itself out of the gall and pupates on the leaf in a parchment-like cocoon.

References


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