aenescens

P. aenescens Riley

Adult Characteristics

Wing expanse 9-15 mm. Forewing uniformly brownish gray, with a somewhat bronzy luster. Populations in the southern part of the range are somewhat lighter. Hindwings of the same color, but lightly scaled.

Comparison with similar species

Prodoxus cinereus, with which it coexists in part of its range, is often somewhat lighter, but they can only be reliably told apart through inspection of the genitalia. In the male, the valva of aenescens is narrow and it has a rounder outer edge. In the female, the ovipositor has a prominent arched, dorsal ridge that terminates at the ovipositor shaft. In the larva, cinereus have two ventral hooks on the abdominal tip. When the two species are found together, aenescens tend to emerge somewhat later than cinereus.

Host, oviposition, and larval feeding habits

The species occurs throughout the range of its exclusive host, Yucca whipplei (Agavaceae). It feeds primarily in the apical portion of the inflorescence stalk, and well above cinereus where they coexist.

Characteristic habitat with Y. whipplei; Tulare Co., California.

Geographic distribution

The host occurs in central-southern cismontane California, in Sierra Nevada north to Fresno Co, in northwestern Arizona (USA), and in Baja California Norte (Mexico) to the Vizcaino region (Powell and Mackie 1966). Published records only exist for the portions within the USA.

Habitat

In coastal chaparral and montane dry shrubby grassland with Yucca whipplei (Agavaceae).

References

Davis, D.R. 1967. A revision of the moths of the subfamily Prodoxinae 
          (Lepidoptera: Incurvariidae). U.S. Nat. Hist. Mus., 
          Bull. 255:1-170. Smiths. Contrib. Zool. 524:1-88.
Powell, J.A. and R.A. Mackie. 1966. Biological interrelationships of 
          moths and Yucca whipplei. Univ. Calif. Publ. Entomol. 42:1-59.

Lectotype in USNM.

About this page

Olle Pellmyr
E-mail: pellmyr@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu.
Dept of Biology, Vanderbilt University, Box 1812-B Nashville, TN 37235, USA

Title illustrations: Lighter male from southern portion of range: San Diego Co., California
Darker male from northern portion of range: Tulare Co., California.