GeezerVison

Olive moth
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Clade:	Pancrustacea
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Praydidae
Genus:	Prays
Species:	P. oleae
Binomial name
Prays oleae Bernard, 1788
Synonyms
Prays oleella (Fabricius, 1794) Prays adspersella Herrich-Schäffer, 1855

Prays oleae (olive moth) is a moth of the family Plutellidae found in Europe.

The wingspan is 11–15 millimetres (3⁄8–5⁄8 in).

The larvae are a pest on olives (Olea europaea). 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.^[1]

The moth is found in Southern Europe (the Mediterranean region) 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.^[2]

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  Leafmines created by larvae
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  Larva on leaf
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  Young larva
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  Older larva
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  Olive leaves mined by the young larva (2b, 2b*); olive shoot eaten by the mature larva (2b**)