Aspilanta argentifera | |
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Holotype specimen of A. argentifera | |
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Adult female A. argentifera | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Heliozelidae |
Genus: | Aspilanta |
Species: | A. argentifera |
Binomial name | |
Aspilanta argentifera (Braun, 1927) | |
Synonyms [1] | |
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Aspilanta argentifera is a species of moth in the family Heliozelidae, first described by Annette Frances Braun in 1927. [2] It is found in eastern North America. The larvae are leaf miners that feed on several species of plant in the family Myrtaceae. [1]
A. argentifera can be found in eastern Canada (Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec) and the northeastern United States (Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Vermont). [1]
Adult A. argentifera have a wingspan of 4.0–5.2 mm (0.16–0.20 in), with each forewing measuring 1.8–2.4 mm (0.071–0.094 in) in length. The head is golden brown with brown antennae, and the thorax and forewings are dark brown with bright silvery white markings. [2] Externally, A. argentifera are similar to Aspilanta ampelopsifoliella and Aspilanta oinophylla , but can be differentiated by the darker scales on the head. [1]
The larvae are a pale yellowish green, with a brown head and prothorax. Their host plants include sweetfern (Comptonia peregrina), Morella caroliniensis , Morella cerifera , and Myrica gale . [1] Braun's original 1927 description theorized that the host plant for A. argentifera was paper birch (Betula papyrifera), [2] however, a 2020 paper posits that this was a case of mistaken identity, and that the mines on birch leaves seen by Braun and attributed to A. argentifera likely belonged to the larvae of a species of incurvariid moth, Phylloporia bistrigella , instead. [1]
The leaf mine begins with a linear portion that follows the midrib of the leaf towards the leaf tip, eventually widening into a small blotch that extends from the midrib to the edge of the leaf. The frass of the larvae is blackish. When mature and ready to pupate, the larvae cut out a 2.5–3.5 mm (0.098–0.138 in) long case from their host leaf, leaving an elliptic hole. [1]
The Heliozelidae, commonly known as shield-bearer moths, are a family of small, day flying monotrysian moths distributed worldwide. The larvae of most heliozelid species are leaf miners who cut distinctive shield-shaped cases from the surface of the host leaf, hence the common name. Some species are considered pests of commercial crops such as grapevines, cranberries, and walnuts. The taxonomy of this family is poorly understood.
Eriocrania sparrmannella also known as the mottled purple is a moth of the family Eriocraniidae, found in Europe and Japan. It was first described by the French entomologist, Louis Augustin Guillaume Bosc in 1791. The specific name honours the Swedish naturalist Anders Erikson Sparrman. The larvae mine the leaves of birch.
Stigmella lapponica is a moth of the family Nepticulidae found in Asia, Europe and North America. It was first described by the German entomologist, Maximilian Ferdinand Wocke in 1862. The larvae mine the leaves of birch.
Stigmella plagicolella is a moth of the family Nepticulidae described by Henry Tibbats Stainton in 1854. It is found in all of Europe and the Near East.
Stigmella sorbi is a moth of the family Nepticulidae, described by Henry Tibbats Stainton in 1861. It is found in most of Europe, east to the eastern part of the Palearctic realm.
Stigmella crataegella is a moth of the family Nepticulidae found in Europe. It was described by the Austrian entomologist Josef Wilhelm Klimesch in 1936. The larvae mine the leaves of hawthorns.
Heliozela resplendella is a moth of the Heliozelidae family. It is found from Fennoscandia and northern Russia to the Pyrenees, Alps and Romania and from Ireland to the Baltic region.
Antispila orbiculella is a moth of the family Heliozelidae. It was described by Kuroko in 1961. It is found in Japan.
Antispila hydrangifoliella is a moth of the family Heliozelidae. It was described by Kuroko in 1961. It is found in Japan (Kyushu).
Antispila aurirubra is a moth of the family Heliozelidae. It was described by Annette Frances Braun in 1915. It is found in the US state of California.
Bucculatrix speciosa is a moth in the family Bucculatricidae. It is found in North America, where it has been recorded from Indiana and West Virginia. It was first described in 1963 by Annette Frances Braun.
Bucculatrix arnicella is a species of moth in the family Bucculatricidae. The species was first described in 1925 by Annette Frances Braun. It is found in North America, where it has been recorded from Utah, Montana, Alberta and Wyoming. The habitat consists of open lodgepole pine and Douglas fir forests.
Bucculatrix ceanothiella is a moth in the family Bucculatricidae. The species was first described in 1918 by Annette Frances Braun. It is found in North America, where it has been recorded from California.
Bucculatrix pomifoliella is a moth in the family Bucculatricidae. It was described by James Brackenridge Clemens in 1860 and is found in North America, where it has been recorded from Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, Ontario, Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina, Missouri, Utah, Washington, British Columbia, Indiana, Manitoba, Quebec and West Virginia.
Elachista cucullata is a moth of the family Elachistidae. It is found in North America, where it has been recorded from California, Florida, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Quebec and West Virginia.
Holocacista capensis is a moth of the family Heliozelidae. It was described by van Nieukerken and Geertsema in 2015. It is found in South Africa.
Aspilanta ampelopsifoliella is a species of moth in the family Heliozelidae. It is found in eastern North America. The larvae are leaf miners that feed on Virginia creeper and false Virginia creeper.
Heliozela eugeniella is a species of moth in the family Heliozelidae. It was described by August Busck in 1900 and is known only from Florida.
Aspilanta oinophylla is a species of moth in the family Heliozelidae. It is native to North America and is an introduced species in Italy. The larvae are leaf miners that feed on several species of Vitaceae, including commercially important species of grapevine.
Aspilanta viticordifoliella is a species of moth in the family Heliozelidae. It is found in Canada and the United States . The larvae are leaf miners that feed on Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Parthenocissus vitacea, and Vitis vulpina.