''Bucculatrix quadrigemina'' is a
moth
Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...
in the family
Bucculatricidae
Bucculatricidae or (Bucculatrigidae) is a family of moths. This small family has representatives in all parts of the world. Some authors place the group as a subfamily of the family Lyonetiidae.
Adults of this family are easily overlooked, bei ...
. It was described in 1918 by
Annette Frances Braun
Annette Frances Braun (August 24, 1884 – November 27, 1978) was an American entomologist and leading authority on microlepidoptera, a grouping of mostly small and nocturnal moths. Her special interest was leaf miners: moths whose larvae liv ...
and is found in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
, where it has been recorded from
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
.
Adults have been recorded on wing from January to June and in October.
The larvae feed on ''
Althaea rosea''. They
mine
Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to:
Extraction or digging
*Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging
*Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine
Grammar
*Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun
M ...
the leaves of their host plant.
The mine is very long and linear. Older larvae live freely, causing many holes in the leaf. Pupation takes place in a white cocoon.
The genus Bucculatrix in America north of Mexico (Microlepidoptera)
/ref>
References
Natural History Museum Lepidoptera generic names catalog
Bucculatricidae
Moths described in 1918
Moths of North America
Taxa named by Annette Frances Braun
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