Bucculatrix parthenica

Bucculatrix parthenica is a moth of the family Bucculatricidae. It is native to Mexico, but was released in Queensland, Australia, as a biological control agent for Parthenium weeds. It was described by John David Bradley in 1990.

Bucculatrix parthenica
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Bucculatricidae
Genus: Bucculatrix
Species:
B. parthenica
Binomial name
Bucculatrix parthenica
Bradley, 1990

The wingspan is about 5 mm. Adults are white and brown.

The larvae feed on Parthenium hysterophorus. First and second instar larvae mine the leaf of their host plant, feeding on it from the inside and leaving the upper and lower skin intact. Later instars feed externally on the leaves. Pupation takes place in a white cocoon under a leaf or stem.



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