Leucoptera astragali

Leucoptera astragali is a moth in the Lyonetiidae family that can be found in Portugal^[1] 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.^[2]

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