Antispila nysaefoliella

The tupelo leafminer moth (Antispila nysaefoliella) is a species of moth of the Heliozelidae family. It is found in south-eastern North America.

Damage

The wingspan is about 8 mm. Adults are on wing in spring.

The larvae feed on Nyssa sylvatica. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine is blotch-shaped and tends to expand radially and typically becomes more oblong-shaped at later instars. The last instars form an oval-shaped double-sided shield by encasing themselves with silk between the upper and lower mine layers. They then cut the shield and descend into the leaf litter for pupation.^[2] Larvae can be found from late August to early September.

References