Prays oleae
Prays oleae is a moth of the family Plutellidae found in Europe.Description
The wingspan is 11–15 mm.
The larvae are a pest on olives Other recorded food plants include Phillyrea, jasmine and Ligustrum. They mine the leaves of their host plant which initially consists of an upper-surface, short, narrow corridor. Later, in early spring, it may abandon this mine and create an irregular full depth blotch elsewhere on the leaf, or it may continue the corridor into a blotch. Most frass is ejected through a hole in the mine. Part of this frass is captured in spinning at the leaf underside.Distribution
The moth is found in Southern Europe and North Africa. It was first found in Great Britain at a garden centre in Surrey in 2009 and has since been found at a light trap in Kent.Gallery
