Thursday, April 26, 2007

Leaf mining moths

This spring I have been collecting leaf mining moths (family Gracillariidae, which are related to the Polynesian moths that I study) in various places around California. I usually collect them as caterpillars or cocoons, but some of them have just hatched out and were photographed for me by Joyce Gross of the Berkeley Natural History Museums.This moth is only about 5 mm long, and I reared it from coast live oak (Fagaceae: Quercus agrifolia) growing in Strawberry Canyon on the upper part of the Berkeley campus. I think it is in the genus Cameraria, but don't quote me on that.
It depends on the species, but some leaf mining moths form ribbed cocoons on the surface of leaves (again, this cocoon is only about 5 mm long). They are especially abundant on the top of coast live oak leaves right now, but this one was found on the surface of California coffeeberry (Rhamnaceae: Rhamnus californica). Shortly after this photo was taken, though, a tiny parasitic wasp emerged instead, which had presumably been feeding on the moth that spun the cocoon. I'm not sure what kind of wasp this is, but it is pretty cool looking.

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