Metriochroa symplocosella

Metriochroa symplocosella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Gracillariidae
Genus:	Metriochroa
Species:	M. symplocosella
Binomial name
Metriochroa symplocosella Kobayashi, Huang & Hirowatari, 2013[1]

Metriochroa symplocosella is a moth of the Gracillariidae family. It is found in Hunan, China.^[2]

The wingspan is 6.2–8 mm. The forewings are white to ochreous white and scattered with brown scales and with dark brown obscure patches. The hindwings are whitish grey or grey.

The larvae feed on Symplocos anomala and Symplocos sumuntia. They mine the leaves of their host plant. They mine the adaxial (toward the center) epidermis of the leaf, forming a narrow, long serpentine mine. Usually, one to two mines are found in a single leaf. The species overwinters as a larva within the mine.

Etymology

The name is derived from Symplocos, the generic name of the host plant.

References

1. Afrotropical Gracillariidae
2. Four new species of Gracillariidae (Lepidoptera) from China and Japan, and description of the pupal morphology of the genera Corythoxestis, Eumetriochroa, Guttigera, and Metriochroa