Coptodisca cercocarpella

Description

Coptodisca cercocarpella, the curl-leaf mountain mahogany leafminer, is a moth of the family Heliozelidae. It was described by Annette Frances Braun in 1925. It is found in North America, including Arizona, California, Utah and Colorado. Adults have a silvery iridescence on the proximal two thirds of the wing and orangish coloration at the distal end. The larvae feed on Cercocarpus ledifolius. They mine the leaves of their host plant. Full-grown larvae cut out a near-circular exit on the dorsal surface of the leaf and then use the cut leaf segment as a protective case.