Macarostola pontificalis
| Macarostola pontificalis | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Gracillariidae |
| Genus: | Macarostola |
| Species: | M. pontificalis |
| Binomial name | |
| Macarostola pontificalis (Meyrick, 1928) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Macarostola pontificalis is a moth of the Gracillariidae family. It is known from the Austral Islands (Rapa and Rurutu).[1]
The larvae feed on Metrosideros collina. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as a tortuous serpentine mine, ending in a blotch mine at one edge of the leaf, and filled with frass. Later, forming a cone.