Phyllocnistis citrella (Citrus Leafminer)

The adult moths are satin-cream, with a black dot on the tip and a gold bar across the middle of each fore wing. The hind wings are fringed by long hairs. The adults have a wingspan of about 0.5 cm. They fly nocturnally, and only live for a few days.

The caterpillar is an agricultural pest, mining the leaves and even young fruit of various members of the Citrus plant family (Rutaceae).

The eggs are white and globular, and are laid singly usually on the undersides of the leaves. On hatching, the caterpillar bores into and eats the flesh of the leaf. It leaves an empty wiggly path in the leaf between the top and bottom leaf surfaces. The caterpillar grows to a length of about 0.3 cm.