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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Moths » Yponomeutoidea » Ermine Moths (Yponomeutidae) » Tropical Ermine Moths (Attevinae) » Atteva » Ailanthus Webworm Moth - Hodges#2401 (Atteva punctella)

Species Atteva punctella - Ailanthus Webworm Moth - Hodges#2401

Classification · Hodges Number · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Unknown caterpillar - Atteva punctella Similar Caterpillar - Atteva punctella Ailanthus Webworm - Atteva punctella Ailanthus Webworm - Atteva punctella Ailanthus Webworm - Atteva punctella Tent Caterpillar - Atteva punctella Ailanthus Webworm - Atteva punctella
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
No Taxon (Moths)
Superfamily Yponomeutoidea
Family Yponomeutidae (Ermine Moths)
Subfamily Attevinae (Tropical Ermine Moths)
Genus Atteva
Species punctella (Ailanthus Webworm Moth - Hodges#2401)
Hodges Number
2401
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
9 synonyms listed at All-Leps but none more recent than 1912
described in 1781 by Cramer, who originally placed it in genus Phalaena
Numbers
the only species in this genus in North America listed at All-Leps
common (1)
Size
wingspan 18-30 mm
Identification
Adult: forewing orange with several large black and white rosettes with some variability which has led to many different names (2). Covell notes that the Florida population has smaller spots and was previously considered a separate species (Atteva floridana)(1). Hindwing translucent black.
Range
From Ontario and New York south to Florida, west to Nebraska and Texas, and south into Mexico. (1)(2)
Habitat
Larvae are found in webs in Ailanthus (2). I've photographed adults nectaring at various flowers in meadows and they are frequently attracted to lights.
Season
adults fly from March to November (1)
Food
larvae feed on leaves of Ailanthus and paradise trees (1) and other deciduous trees and shrubs (3)
Life Cycle
Larvae live in communal webs (1). One generation a year (3).
Remarks
The main larval food plant (Ailanthus altissima) is also known as Tree of Heaven, Stinking Sumac, Copal Tree, or Varnish Tree, and occurs throughout most of United States and southern Canada, often planted as an ornamental in urban areas.
See Also
At first sight, this species is often mistaken for a beetle because of its bright colors and habit of visiting flowers in the daytime.

Cydosia aurivitta, Noctuidae
Print References
Covell, page 431, color plate 61 (#13) and B&W plate 62 (#5) (1)
Arnett, page 677, with a black and white photograph (figure 27.48) (2)
Audubon Guide to NA Insects, #552, page 709 (3)
Internet References
live adult images plus description, larval foodplant, flight dates (Lynn Scott, Ontario)
pinned adult image (Clemson U., South Carolina)
classification of Atteva in family Yponomeutidae (Butterflies and Moths of the World)
author, date, and original genus (nearctica.com)
Works Cited
1.Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America
By Charles V. Covell, Jr.
2.American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico
By Ross H. Arnett
3.National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects and Spiders
By Lorus and Margery Milne
Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by Robin McLeod, anitagould, Mike Quinn
Last updated 2 August, 2008 - 6:12pm

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