Coleotechnites gibsonella
Coleotechnites gibsonella | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Gelechiidae |
Genus: | Coleotechnites |
Species: | C. gibsonella |
Binomial name | |
Coleotechnites gibsonella (Kearfott, 1907) | |
Synonyms | |
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The common juniper leafminer (Coleotechnites gibsonella) is a moth of the Gelechiidae family. It is found in the north-eastern parts of the United States.
There is one generation per year.
The larvae feed on Juniperus communis. Young caterpillars mine or hollow the needles of their host at the ends of shoots and ties the dead needles together with silk. In fall, it lines the center of the bundle with silk to make a chamber where it spends the winter. In spring, the caterpillar moves to new terminal growth, again binding hollowed needles together with silk.