Leucoptera astragali | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Lyonetiidae |
Genus: | Leucoptera |
Species: | L. astragali |
Binomial name | |
Leucoptera astragali Mey & Corley, 1999 |
Leucoptera astragali is a moth in the Lyonetiidae family. It is found in Portugal and Tunisia.
The larvae feed on Astragalus lusitanicus. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as a blotch, the end of which occupies a large part of the leaflet. The mine is enlarged in a concentric pattern. There is much granular frass, that is glued to the upper epidermis and gives most of the central area of the mine a dark appearance. The full-grown larvae make a semicircular exit slit in the upper epidermis to leave the mine. Pupation takes place within a cocoon.