endophagous

adjective

en·​doph·​a·​gous

(ˈ)en¦däfəgəs

: feeding from within:

a

of a parasitoid insect larva : developing within and feeding on the internal organs and tissues of the host compare ectophagous

b

: consuming vegetation or plant debris by burrowing in and disintegrating plant structures (as in the tunneling of leaves by leaf miners)

Word History

Etymology

end- + -phagous

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