Cameraria macrocarpae

Cameraria macrocarpae is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is only known from Manitoba, Canada.[1][2]

The wingspan of the adults is approximately 8 mm.[3] The forewings are gold with three white lines, while the hindwings are light grey with a whitish fringe.[3] Adults start emerging in mid-June and may be present into August, though individual adults likely only live for about two weeks.[3][4] There is one generation per year.[4]

Adult females lay eggs in rows of up to 12 on the upper side of bur oak leaves, usually along the leaf mid-rib or lateral vein.[4] The eggs are translucent to white in color, and there may be several clusters of eggs on a single leaf.[4] After hatching the larvae enter the leaf and form a common blotch mine near the leaf's upper surface where they feed as leaf miners.[4] Frass is deposited throughout the mine.[4] Mines of larvae from separate egg clusters on the same leaf may coalesce into a single large mine.[4]

The larvae are pale yellow to cream in color with orange heads.[4] The first five of their seven instars are spent feeding in the mine and are present from early July to early October.[4] The heads of the larvae in this stage are more wedge-shaped than those in the final two instars and lack a prominent spinneret.[4] Larvae overwinter in the sixth instar inside the mined leaf.[4] Larvae do not feed during the last two instars.[4] The final instar and pupation occur in spring.[4] Larvae spin a silk cocoon in the mine in which they pupate.[4]

Larvae are parasitized by wasps from several families, including Braconidae, Eulophidae, Eurytomidae, Ichneumonidae, and Pteromalidae.[4]

This species was first described by Canadian entomologist Thomas Nesbitt Freeman in 1970.[3]