carnerosanella

T. carnerosanella Pellmyr

Adult Characteristics

Wing expanse 20-27.5 mm. Forewing and hindwing white. Male genitalia with aedeagus 2.7 mm long, 0.02 mm in cross section; female genitalia with posterior apophyses 7.6-8.3 mm long, corpus bursae with signa 0.45-0.60 mm in diameter.

Comparison with similar species

Similar in forewing coloration to rostratella and, to a lesser extent, other members of the yuccasella complex, but readily distinguished from other members of the complex based on genitalic characters. A diagnostic key is provided.

Hosts, oviposition, and larval feeding habits

The species is known from the fleshy-fruited yucca Y. carnerosana, including Y. faxoniana, the giant dagger yucca. Females oviposit into flowers (Pellmyr 1999). Eggs are laid inside the ovary, between the wall and the ovules, generally in the upper portion.The larva feeds on developing seeds. Pupation occurs in a cocoon in the soil.

Geographic distribution

The known range includes parts of western Texas, at northern edge of the host range. The host extends southward, and should be sought in Coahuila and San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

Habitat

Typical habitat is shrub desert, where the host often constitutes a virtual forest. Altitudinal range 800-1800 m.

Shrubby desert in Brewster Co., Texas, with the host Y. carnerosana is a typical habitat of the species.

References


Pellmyr, O. 1999. Systematic revision of the Tegeticula yuccasella complex 
    (Lepidoptera: Prodoxidae) north of Mexico. Systematic Entomology 24:243-271.

Holotype in USNM.

About this page

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

Title illustration: Tegeticula carnerosanella male and female (Brewster Co, Texas).