| Lithocolletinae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Phyllonorycter issikii | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Gracillariidae |
| Subfamily: | Lithocolletinae Stainton, 1854 |
| Genera | |
11 | |
Lithocolletinae is a subfamily of insects in the moth family Gracillariidae. It is distributed worldwide, with most species in temperate regions. [1]
As of 2012, the subfamily contains over 540 species divided into ten genera. [2] About half are native to the Palearctic realm, and over 100 occur in the Nearctic realm. [1] About 66 species occur in the Afrotropical realm, 41 of which were described in the year 2012. [2]
Moths of the subfamily are small, with wingspans under 10 millimeters. They are often colorful, with forewings in shades of orange or red-brown with white or silvery streaks, [1] and a metallic, shiny ground color. [2] Another trait sometimes used to distinguish species is the style of frass distribution. Species may leave their frass scattered about, deposited neatly along leaf veins or gathered at the feeding area, knit into a pile with silk threads, or spun into the cocoon. [2]
These moths are associated with at least 870 species of host plants in 36 botanical families. [2] Many feed on plants of the legume family, Fabaceae, and five genera are limited to them. [1] Many species are monophagic, known from only one host plant. [2] The larvae of most species are found on legumes, as well as the beech family (Fagaceae), the birch family (Betulaceae), the rose family (Rosaceae), and the willow family (Salicaceae). [2]
Most larvae are leaf miners, which feed on leaves and produce distorting tissue damage. Most larvae suck sap during their first three instars, and consume the leaves during their final two instar stages. [2] Familiar pests in the subfamily include Cameraria ohridella , which feeds on horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), Phyllonorycter blancardella , which feeds on apples (Malus spp.), Cremastobombycia lantanella , which attacks lantana (Lantana camara). [2] Some larvae produce galls on plants. [2]
There are 11 genera. The largest, Phyllonorycter, contains around 400 species, while the smallest, Protolithocolletis, has only one species. [2] Phyllonorycter contains many species of unclear phylogenetic origins and uncertain taxonomic classification. The definitions of the genera are not yet fully developed. Molecular analysis is ongoing. Collection of specimens is continuing, and new genera are being observed and will be described in the future. [2]
Genera: [2]
Hypermetamorphosis, or heteromorphosis, is a term used mainly in entomology; it refers to a class of variants of holometabolism, that is to say, complete insect metamorphosis. Hypermetamorphosis is exceptional in that some instars, usually larval instars, are functionally and visibly distinct from the rest. The differences between such instars usually reflect transient stages in the life cycle; for instance, one instar might be mobile while it searches for its food supply, while the following instar immediately sheds its locomotory organs and settles down to feed until it is fully grown and ready to change into the reproductive stage, which in turn, does not have the same nutritional requirements as the larvae.
The horse-chestnut leaf miner is a leaf-mining moth of the family Gracillariidae. The horse-chestnut leaf miner was first observed in North Macedonia in 1984, and was described as a new species in 1986. Its larvae are leaf miners on the common horse-chestnut. The horse-chestnut leafminer was first collected and inadvertently pressed in herbarium sheets by the botanist Theodor von Heldreich in central Greece in 1879.
Gracillariidae is an important family of insects in the order Lepidoptera and the principal family of leaf miners that includes several economic, horticultural or recently invasive pest species such as the horse-chestnut leaf miner, Cameraria ohridella.
Cameraria is a genus of moths in the family Gracillariidae, which includes many species of leaf miners. One of the best known species is the horse-chestnut leaf miner, Cameraria ohridella.
Macrosaccus robiniella is a moth of the family Gracillariidae.
Phyllonorycter is a genus of moths in the family Gracillariidae.
Phyllonorycter didymopa is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from South Africa and Namibia.
Phyllonorycter loxozona is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from South Africa and Uganda. The record for Kenya is a misidentification of Cameraria torridella.
Phyllonorycter melanosparta is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from South Africa, Zimbabwe and western Kenya. The habitat consists of secondary woodland where forest flora intermixes with savannah plants.
Phyllonorycter melhaniae is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Phyllonorycter rhynchosiae is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from South Africa. The habitat consists of the urban hills of Pretoria.
Neolithocolletis pentadesma is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from Indonesia (Java), Malaysia, the Philippines (Luzon) and the Seychelles.
Cameraria macrocarpae is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is only known from Manitoba, Canada.
Cameraria perodeaui is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in primary rainforest.
Phyllonorycter achilleus is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found in the Albertine Rift and the Kakamega Forest in western Kenya. The habitat consists of tropical rainforests where Guineo-Congolian flora intermixes with savannah plants at altitudes above 1,500 meters.
Phyllonorycter adderis is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found in south-western Rwanda in montane, closed canopy forests at an altitude of about 1,800 metres.
Phyllonorycter gato is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found in south-western Rwanda in open clearings in montane wet forests at an altitude of about 1,800 meters.
Phyllonorycter ocimellus is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found in eastern and western Kenya in humid, secondary forests at an altitude of about 1,600 meters.
Porphyrosela gautengi is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found in South Africa in secondary forests.
Gracillariinae are a subfamily of moths which was described by Henry Tibbats Stainton in 1854.