rostratella

T. rostratella Pellmyr

Adult Characteristics

Wing expanse 18.5-26 mm. Forewing white, hindwing white or occasionally light grey. Male genitalia with aedeagus 2.2-3.0 mm long, 0.03-0.04 mm in cross section; female genitalia with posterior apophyses 5.2-6.4 mm long, small corpus bursae with signa 0.60-0.75 mm in diameter.

Comparison with similar species

The typically all-white coloration is only shared by the sympatric carnerosanella, but the adult appears somewhat later (as a result of different floering times of hosts). Genitalia are highly characteristic for identification; a diagnostic key is provided.

Hosts, oviposition, and larval feeding habits

The species is known from the capsular-fruited yucca Y. rostrata and the questionably distinct Y. rigida (Pellmyr 1999). Females oviposit into flowers . Eggs are laid inside the ovary between the wall and the ovules. The larva feeds on developing seeds. Pupation occurs in a cocoon in the soil.

Geographic distribution

The Big Bend region of the United States, extending in Mexico to the southern edge of the Mapimi region in southern Coahuila.

Habitat

Typical habitat is scrub desert, often on relatively steep slopes. Altitudinal range 690-950 m.

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 rostratella male and female (Brewster Co, Texas).