Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Gracillariidae Scientific name Caloptilia mabaella | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Caloptilia Rank Species | |
The Hawaiian ebony leaf miner (Caloptilia mabaella) is a moth of the Gracillariidae family. It is only known from the Hawaiian island of Oahu in the United States.
The larvae feed on Diospyros sandwicensis, Diospyros hillebrandii and Diospyros haplostylis. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts near the margin of the leaf and runs towards the base, approaching the margin, then it follows it to near the apex, further to the midrib which it follows downward, soon widening quite regularly to a broad blotch extending nearly to the base of the leaf.
The larva emerges from the mine to construct its cocoon, which is rounded-oval, white and parchment-like. It is about 7 mm long and is made on the surface of the leaf in a depression, or a slight fold at the margin.