Caloptilia leucapennella
| Caloptilia leucapennella | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Gracillariidae |
| Genus: | Caloptilia |
| Species: | C. leucapennella |
| Binomial name | |
| Caloptilia leucapennella (Stephens, 1835)[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
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Caloptilia leucapennella is a moth of the Gracillariidae family. It is known from all of Europe, except the Balkan Peninsula.
The wingspan is about 13 mm. The typical form of the adult is a pale yellowish white, but there are variations, ranging to the rufous form f. aurantiella. Adults are on wing from July to October and overwinter.[2]
The larvae feed on Quercus ilex and Quercus robur. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as a narrow lower-surface epidermal gallery, that widens into an oval, eventually full depth blotch between two side veins. Older larvae live freely, at first in a folded leaf margin, later in a partly rolled leaf tip. They possibly prefer young leaves.[3]