Lyonetiidae
Guides
Leucoptera
leaf miners, white-winged moths
Leucoptera is a genus of small moths in the family Lyonetiidae, commonly known as leaf miners. The genus includes several economically important agricultural pests, most notably Leucoptera coffeella (the coffee leaf miner) and Leucoptera malifoliella (the apple leaf miner). Larvae feed internally within leaf tissue, creating distinctive serpentine or blotch mines that reduce photosynthetic capacity and can cause significant crop losses. The genus has a global distribution with species associated with diverse host plants including coffee, apple, and other crops.
Leucoptera erythrinella
Leucoptera erythrinella is a species of moth in the family Lyonetiidae, first described by Busck in 1900. It belongs to a genus of leaf-mining moths whose larvae create serpentine tunnels within plant leaves. The species is part of the Cemiostominae subfamily, a group known for their specialized feeding habits as internal leaf feeders.
Leucoptera laburnella
Laburnum Leafminer, laburnum leaf miner
Leucoptera laburnella is a small moth in the family Lyonetiidae, commonly known as the laburnum leaf miner. The larvae are leaf miners that feed internally on leaves of various Fabaceae species, particularly Laburnum. Adults have distinctive white forewings marked with yellow and dark fuscous patterns. The species is native to Europe and has been introduced to North America.
Lyonetia latistrigella
Lyonetia latistrigella is a leaf-mining moth in the family Lyonetiidae. The species has been documented primarily through limited observations, with 49 records on iNaturalist. Its taxonomic status has been subject to revision, with some sources listing it as a synonym while GBIF recognizes it as accepted. Detailed biological information remains sparse in available literature.
Parahormius
Parahormius is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the subfamily Hormiinae of Braconidae. Members are known to attack pupal stages of Lyonetiidae (Lepidoptera). The genus was established by Nixon in 1940 and contains species distributed across India, the Palearctic region, and the Russian Far East.
Proleucoptera
Proleucoptera is a genus of microlepidoptera in the family Lyonetiidae, established by Busck in 1902. Species in this genus are leaf-mining moths with extremely small wingspans, often under 5 mm. The genus is currently treated as a synonym of Leucoptera, though it was historically recognized as distinct. Members are known for mining leaves of host plants, with some species reaching densities sufficient to cause noticeable defoliation.
Proleucoptera smilaciella
A microlepidopteran leaf-mining moth in the family Lyonetiidae. Adults are distinguished from the similar Paraleucoptera albella by wing pattern characteristics including a narrower, more oblique first fascia and smaller silvery-gray spot. The species is larger than P. albella and exhibits converging dark lines toward the wing apex. Specific host plant associations and detailed biology remain poorly documented.