Zophodia leithella

Overview

Zophodia leithella
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Pyralidae
Genus: Zophodia
Species: Z. leithella
Binomial name
Zophodia leithella
(Dyar, 1928)
Synonyms
  • Cactoblastis leithella Dyar, 1928
  • Amalafrida leithella

Zophodia leithella is a species of snout moth in the genus Zophodia.

History

It was described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1928.

Location

It is found in northern Venezuela and Colombia, in the Caribbean (Curaçao) and in southern Mexico.[1]

Appearance

The wingspan is 30–33 mm. The forewings are greyish brown with darker markings and the hindwings are almost wholly white in males and mainly fuscous in females.

Larval Behaviours & Life Cycle

The larvae feed on Platyopuntia species. They are solitary and feed within the stem of their host plant. The larvae are greyish with broad transverse bands. Full-grown larvae cut through the cuticle of the host plant to form a trapdoor, the free edges of which are cemented to the surface. The cocoon is spun within the larval cavity and possesses a long neck extending to the trapdoor, which is pushed open by the emerging adult.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Cactus Feeding Moths
  2. ↑ Mann, John (1969). "Cactus-Feeding Insects and Mites". Bulletin of the United States National Museum. doi:10.5479/si.03629236.256.1.


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