Numbers
64 species in 2 genera in North America (
nearctica.com)
Identification
Adult: usually brown, gray, or tan with few markings; labial palps often hairy, and when extended over the head give the moth a furry-headed appearance
Larva: grayish or dirty white with a brown head
Range
eastern two-thirds of United States as far north as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin
mostly tropical, the majority of species occur in Central and South America
Food
most larvae feed on soil detritus and the roots of grasses and other herbaceous plants; some species are coprophagous
Remarks
larvae construct long silken tubes in the soil
Internet References
pinned adult image of
Amydria effrentella plus other info (Gerald Fauske, Moths of North Dakota)
all life stage drawings of
Acrolophus popeanellus plus other info (North Carolina State U.)
adult images of
Acrolophus propinquus (Larry Line, Maryland)
