GRACILLARIIDAE: Acrocercopinae ⁴

Acrocercops leucocyma (Meyrick, 1889). F.L. 4-5 mm. Endemic. Widespread & Common.

The workings of the larva are more often observed than the very small adult insect.

Habitat, seasonality and behaviour ⁵

Adults can be found from October through to January in native forest. They fly at night and come to light.

Life history ⁵

The larvae of all Gracillariidae start as leaf miners. The tiny larvae tunnel inside the leaves of kauri trees resulting in distinctive meandering silver-coloured lines.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Stephen Thorpe, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Stephen Thorpe
2. (c) Stephen Thorpe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Stephen Thorpe
3. (c) Tony Steer, all rights reserved, uploaded by Tony Steer
4. Adapted by Tony Steer from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrocercops_leucocyma
5. (c) Tony Steer, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNaturalist NZ taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• CUIC Insect Images
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants

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