Parornix spiraeifoliella

(Braun, 1918)

Parornix spiraeifoliella is a small in the , first described by Braun in 1918. The is documented only from British Columbia, Canada. Its are that develop on Spiraea species, creating distinctive wrinkled mines on the undersides of leaves. The species has been observed 26 times on iNaturalist.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Parornix spiraeifoliella: //pəˈrɔrnɪks spɪˌreɪiːfoʊˈliːɛlə//

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

can be identified by their leaf mines on Spiraea: a highly wrinkled, underside mine that differs from the smoother mines of many other . are small with the reduced and scaling typical of the Parornix; specific adult diagnostic features for this are not well documented.

Habitat

Associated with Spiraea plants, which grow in moist meadows, streambanks, and forest edges in British Columbia.

Distribution

British Columbia, Canada.

Diet

feed on Spiraea (Rosaceae).

Host Associations

  • Spiraea - larval mine leaves of

Life Cycle

Larval stage mines leaves of Spiraea; other and are not documented.

Behavior

are , feeding internally within leaf tissue rather than externally.

Similar Taxa

  • Other Parornix speciesMany Parornix are on Rosaceae; identification to species level often requires examination of or specific mine characteristics on known plants.
  • Other Gracillariidae on SpiraeaSeveral gracillariid mine Rosaceae leaves; the wrinkled underside mine may help distinguish P. spiraeifoliella from with smoother or upper-surface mines.

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Sources and further reading