piperella

G. piperella (Busck)

Adult Characteristics

Wing expanse 16.5-21.5 mm. Forewings white or cream colored in females, rarely with stramineous tinge in females from Alberta, and with gray tinge in males; numerous fine spots scattered over wing, with diameter less than half those of punctiferella, and not coalescing. Rare specimens have many spots lost, and only those in the apical portion are present. Hindwings darker gray.

Comparison with similar species

G. piperella and females of G. mitellae can possibly create problems of identification. Greya punctiferella is a smaller moth with yellow base color and more smeared spots. The female of G. mitellae is much smaller, yellow base color, more rounded forewing shape, and dark brown hindwings.

Hosts, oviposition, and larval feeding habits

The species feeds on Heuchera cylindrica in the north, and on H. micrantha in California (Saxifragaceae). Eggs are laid in the peduncle of the host, and larvae mine in it. Nothing in known about later instars.

Female ovipositing into H. cylindrica peduncle.

Geographic Distribution

Dry interior portions of southern British Columbia to central Oregon, reaching westward to western Montana. An isolated population is known from central California. Specimens from New Mexico and Utah have tentatively been identifed as this species.

Habitat

In open, grassy pine forest or on rockfaces in open country where the host is found growing in crevices and ledges. Elevational range 200-2300 m. It often coexists with G. enchrysa and G. politella.

Characteristic habitat in Nez Perce Co., Idaho; Heuchera grows along lower edge of talus.

Ecological notes

Greya piperella drinks nectar from the flowers of its host, but there is no evidence for pollination function in the species (Pellmyr et al. 1996).

Further ecological aspects of G. piperella and the species that it interacts with are currently under study by John Thompson and David Althoff at Washington State University.

A phylogenetic note

In a phylogenetic analysis of a portion of mitochondrial DNA, G. mitellae was nested within Greya piperella (Brown et al. 1994). It is evident that speciation of G. mitellae has occurred so recently that the mitochondrial lineages have not yet been assorted. Greya mitellae reflects a concurrent habitat and host shift, and it has undergone striking morphological evolution particularly in the male.

References

Brown, J.M., O. Pellmyr, J.N. Thompson & R.G. Harrison. 1994. 
          Phylogeny of Greya (Lepidoptera: Prodoxidae), based 
          on nucleotide sequence variation in mitochondrial cytochrome 
          oxidase I and II: congruence with morphological data. 
          Mol. Biol. Evol. 11:128-141.
Davis, D.R., O. Pellmyr & J.N. Thompson. 1992. Biology and systematics 
          of Greya Busck and Tetragma n. gen. (Lepidoptera: Prodoxidae). 
          Smiths. Contrib. Zool. 524:1-88.

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: Male from Crook Co., Oregon, and female from Nez Perce Co., Idaho, USA.