About Phyllonorycter tritaenianella (Chambers, 1871)
Phyllonorycter tritaenianella is a moth species belonging to the family Gracillariidae. This species is recorded from Québec, Canada, and the U.S. states of Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. The wingspan of adult moths measures 7–8 mm. The larvae of this species feed on plants of the Ostrya genus, including Ostrya virginiana and Ostrya virginica. Larvae create mines inside the leaves of their host plants. The leaf mine made by this species takes the form of a rather large, roundish blotch on the upper side of the leaf. When the mine is young, it forms a flat blotch, and the loosened leaf epidermis is white with sparse brown speckling. As the mine develops, contraction of the epidermis makes the mine a spacious, tentiform structure, and causes the entire leaf to fold over. The larva is green, has a cylindrical body shape, and spins a thin, oval silken cocoon that is fastened to both the upper and lower surfaces of the leaf.
