Praydidae

22.004 Olive Stowaway Prays oleae (Bernard, 1788)

Adventive

Similar species: This species has a dark triangular suffusion near the centre of the leading edge of the forewing. Prays citri has a dark diagonal broken bar running from a blotch at three quarters along the leading edge to the centre of the trailing edge. The larva of Prays citri has also been recorded feeding on olive, but the larva has different head markings.

Forewing: 5.5 to 6.5mm

Habitats: Garden centres and plant nurseries.

Habits:

Foodplant: The larva makes a narrow gallery mine leading to a small blotch on the upper-surface of an olive leaf. The mines are usually in the shoots at the tips of the twigs. It may abandon the mine before completion, but then completes another. The frass is ejected via a hole under the mine and this may be trapped on the silk under the leaf. The late instar larva lives under a slight web on the underside of the leaf eating out windows.