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Ribbed Cocoon-maker Moths (Bucculatricidae)
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Bucculatrix
Photo#245093
Copyright © 2008
drwbug@aol.com
Unknown organism on top of a leaf of an elephant-ear plant -
Bucculatrix
Hillsborough, Orange County, North Carolina, USA
August 4, 2008
Specimen is approximately 2 x 4 mm. Any help where to start the identification process would be appreciated.
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Contributed by
drwbug@aol.com
on 16 December, 2008 - 4:51pm
Last updated 16 December, 2008 - 9:53pm
Cocoon fence
Does the fence have a chemical repellent incorporated in it?
…
drwbug@aol.com
, 22 October, 2019 - 3:15pm
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Welcome.
Welcome to Bugguide. You sure know how to make a splash. LOL! Seriously, what a magnificent image. Looking forward to seeing more of your work.
…
Eric R. Eaton
, 16 December, 2008 - 5:49pm
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Thanks for the comments. I h
Thanks for the comments. I have some other images at
fisherwr2.smugmug.com
…
drwbug@aol.com
, 16 December, 2008 - 7:12pm
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Nice shot! Ribbed cocoon mak
Nice shot!
Ribbed cocoon maker moth...
…
Noah Charney
, 16 December, 2008 - 4:59pm
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Thanks for your reply.
Thanks for your reply.
…
drwbug@aol.com
, 16 December, 2008 - 7:24pm
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Bucculatrix
Beautiful shot of the cocoon of a
Bucculatrix
("ribbed cocoon-maker moth") and the "fence" the caterpillar constructs before spinning its cocoon. They are leaf-miners, but they tend to drop down to other plants before pupating, so the species can't necessarily be inferred from the host plant.
…
Charley Eiseman
, 16 December, 2008 - 4:58pm
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Thanks for the comments. The
Thanks for the comments. The "fence" seems rather porous for any defensive function. Are you aware of some other function?
…
drwbug@aol.com
, 16 December, 2008 - 7:11pm
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Defense...
is the only function I've heard ascribed to it--supposedly it protects the caterpillar while it is building the cocoon, which takes quite a while. I agree it's hard to believe that it keeps anything out. Maybe it would become clear if we were able to see it in action.
…
Charley Eiseman
, 16 December, 2008 - 9:04pm
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fence function
It seems to me the fence rather serves some constructional function in making the cocoon.
…
daanvanrijswijk
, 10 September, 2013 - 6:00am
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Not likely
The fence doesn't touch any part of the cocoon.
…
Charley Eiseman
, 10 September, 2013 - 7:14am
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Bucculatrix
One of the reasons for this intricate cocoon may be to prevent ants? As soon as I know how I will post a picture of these guys that puzzled many entomologists in South Africa
…
Aart
, 27 October, 2013 - 10:04am
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