''Simplimorpha lanceifoliella'' is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...

of the family

Nepticulidae Nepticulidae is a family of very small moths with a worldwide distribution. They are characterised by eyecaps over the eyes (see also Opostegidae, Bucculatricidae, Lyonetiidae). These pigmy moths or midget moths, as they are commonly known, incl ...

first described by Vari in 1955. It is found in southern Africa. There are several generations per year. The larvae feed on ''

Anacardiaceae The Anacardiaceae, commonly known as the cashew family or sumac family, are a family of flowering plants, including about 83 genera with about 860 known species. Members of the Anacardiaceae bear fruits that are drupes and in some cases produce ...

'' species, including ''

Rhus lancea ''Searsia lancea'' commonly known as karee (archaicly karree), is an evergreen, frost hardy, drought resistant tree, which can reach up to 8 metres in height with a 5-metre spread. In North America, where it is naturalized, it is known as Africa ...

''. They

mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging * Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun ...

the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a linear gallery. Pupation takes place in a cocoon in the soil.

External links

*Nieukerken, Erik J. van (1986)
"Systematics and Phylogeny of Holarctic Genera of Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera, Heteroneura: Monotrysia)"
''Zoologische Verhandelingen''. (236) – via Internet Archive. * Nepticulidae Moths of Africa Moths described in 1955 {{nepticulidae-stub