Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Marmara smilacisella

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Class
  
Insecta

Family
  
Gracillariidae

Scientific name
  
Marmara smilacisella

Phylum
  
Arthropoda

Order
  
Lepidoptera

Genus
  
Marmara

Rank
  
Species

Marmara smilacisella is a moth of the Gracillariidae family. It is known from the United States (Kentucky and Ohio south to Florida and Texas).

The larvae feed on Smilax glabra, Smilax glauca and Smilax hispida. They mine the upper side of the leaves, making a silvery white narrow mine. There is a narrow central line of frass. The mines wind about over the leaf, crossing and recrossing and in smaller leaves involving almost the whole upper surface. At maturity, the larvae turn bright red, emerge from the mine, and, in a fold under the edge of the leaf, spin yellowish white cocoons to pupate.

References

Marmara smilacisella Wikipedia