New Species of Leafmining Moth Found in South Africa
Posted on June 10, 2015
Scientists have discovered a new species of leafminer on a grapevine in Western Cape, a province of South Africa. The leafmining moth has been observed in large numbers in table grape orchards in the Paarl region of the Western Cape. The moth is believed to have recently shifted from wild grapes to cultivated grapes.
The new moth has been named Holocacista capensis. It has a very tiny wingspan of just 4 mm. The moth insert its eggs into a leaf and the larvae eat a tunnel inside the leaf. The photo below shows leafmines created by Holocacista capensis as well as some larvae.
The full-grown larva will cut out a shield in the leaf. It can then move around inside this leaf shield. The larva attaches the shield by a silken thread to a trunk, another leaf or grapes. It then pupates inside the shield.
A research paper on the new moth species is published here in ZooKeys. The paper is written by Entomologist Henk Geertsema, professor at Stellenbosch University, and Erik van Nieukerken, a researcher at Naturalis Biodiversity Center (Leiden, the Netherlands).