Numbers
three species in North America, according to
Bernard and Jean-François Landry (2004), who state that
Alucita hexadactyla does not occur in North America
Identification
Adult: wings consist of unusual and diagnostic feather-like plumes (rigid spines from which radiate flexible bristles), normally spread apart like a fan when the moth is at rest; there are six plumes per wing, for a total of twenty-four
Larva: body pink, hides inside flowers of host plant, and pupates in a delicate fish-net cocoon
[Jeremy Tatum, Butterflies and Moths of Vancouver Island]
Range
Alucita montana: southwestern Quebec and Vermont, west to British Columbia, south to Arizona, California, and Texas
Alucita adriendenisi: northwestern Quebec and New York, west to Alberta and Northwest Territories, with more southern populations (isolated?) in West Virginia, Arizona, and Texas
Alucita lalannei: Ontario, Manitoba, and Alberta
the genus is also represented in Europe and several other regions of the world
Habitat
adults fly early in the evening or any time on cloudy days, and may sometimes be found in homes fluttering at windows
Season
adults fly in spring and again in late summer/fall
Food
Alucita montana: larvae are associated with snowberry (Symphoricarpos spp.; Caprifoliaceae) in the north, and honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.) in California
Alucita adriendenisi: larvae feed on flowers of
Limber Honeysuckle (
Lonicera dioica) in Michigan
Alucita lalannei: host plant unknown
Remarks
Two new species were described by Bernard and Jean-François Landry in 2004, bringing the North American species total to three, none of which is Alucita hexadactyla (see Internet References section below).
Print References
Landry, Bernard and Jean-François Landry. 2004. The genus Alucita in North America, with description of two new species (Lepidoptera: Alucitidae). Can. Entomol. 136: 553- 579.
Internet References
names of the 3 North American species of Alucita and statement that
A. hexadactyla does not occur in North America (Bernard and Jean-François Landry, 2004, The Canadian Entomologist)
pinned adult image of "
A. hexadactyla", plus species numbers, biology, references (Gerald Fauske, Moths of North Dakota)
live adult image of "
A. hexadactyla" plus food plants (Jeremy Tatum, Butterflies and Moths of Southern Vancouver Island)
live adult images of
A. hexadactyla (Jeff Higgott, UK Lepidoptera)
adult image of "
A. hexadactyla" from Colorado (Larry Line, Mostly Moths of Maryland)
presence in Ontario; list of "
A. hexadactyla" (NHIC; Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources)
presence in Florida; list of "
A. hexadactyla" (Michael Thomas, Florida State Collection of Arthropods)
presence in California; list of "
A. hexadactyla" (U. of California at Berkeley)
classification of Alucita in family Alucitidae (Brian Pitkin, Butterflies and Moths of the World)
