Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Gracillariidae Scientific name Philodoria basalis | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Philodoria Rank Species | |
Philodoria basalis is a moth of the Gracillariidae family. It is endemic to the Hawaiian islands of Maui and Hawaii.
The larvae feed on Metrosideros species. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The larvae emerge from the mine to form an oval cocoon, which is located on the outer surface of the dead epidermis of the leaf covering the larval mine. The epidermis is cut around at a slight distance from the cocoon so that it falls easily out of the leaf carrying the cocoon with it.
References
Philodoria basalis Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA