en·doph·a·gous \(ˈ)en|däfəgəs\adjective Etymology:end- + -phagous : 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)