Meyrick beat the single known specimen from Banksia sermta and thought this was probably the host-plant. He also stated that he found nepticulid larvae on this plant, but failed to rear them. Moore (1966) illustrated vacated mines on Banksia sermta and Banksia integrifolia, which he believed belonged to nepticulids. However, search in a number of localities during 1995 has failed to reveal any unequivocal sign of nepticulids on Banksia or any other genus of Proteaceae. Vacated mines on Banksia sermta, identical to those illustrated by Moore, have been found in two localities, but they are considered unlikely to belong to Nepticulidae as the commencement of the linear mine is uncharacteristically broad, and the egg appears to be injected into the leaf tissues, and is not visible on the surface. No Pectinivalva has yet been reared from any family of plants other than Myrtaceae. The host plant is thus unknown, but probably a Myrtaceae species. Most likely, they mine the leaves of their host plant.
Nepticulidae is a family of very small moths with a worldwide distribution. They are characterised by eyecaps over the eyes. These pigmy moths or midget moths, as they are commonly known, include the smallest of all living moths, with a wingspan that can be as little as 3 mm in the case of the European pigmy sorrel moth, but more usually 3.5–10 mm. The wings of adult moths are narrow and lanceolate, sometimes with metallic markings, and with the venation very simplified compared to most other moths.
Pectinivalva is a genus of moths of the family Nepticulidae.
Pectinivalva caenodora is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found along the south-eastern coast of New South Wales.
Pectinivalva chalcitis is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found along the south-western coast of Western Australia.
Pectinivalva commoni is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found along the south-western coast of Western Australia.
Pectinivalva endocapna is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found along the south-western coast of Western Australia.
Pectinivalva gilva is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found along the south-eastern coast of New South Wales.
Pectinivalva melanotis is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found along the south-eastern coast of New South Wales.
Pectinivalva anazona is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found along the south-eastern coast of New South Wales.
Pectinivalva funeralis is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found along the southeastern coast of New South Wales.
Pectinivalva libera is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found along the southeastern coast of New South Wales.
Pectinivalva planetis is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found along the southeastern coast of New South Wales.
Pectinivalva trepida is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found along the south-eastern coast of Victoria.
Pectinivalva warburtonensis is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found on the Warburton Ranges in Western Australia.
Pectinivalva minotaurus is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found in southern Queensland.
Pectinivalva scotodes is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found in New South Wales and southern Queensland.
Pectinivalva acmenae is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found in New South Wales.
Pectinivalva quintiniae is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland.
Pectinivalva tribulatrix is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found in northern Queensland.
Pectinivalva xenadelpha is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found in Borneo, east Kalimantan.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
