Species Scythris sinensis - Hodges#1651.1

1651.1

Flower Moth

Scythris sinensis (Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875)

Butalis sinensis Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875

Staintonia apiciguttella Christoph, 1882 (42)

Scythris pyrrhopyga Filipjev, 1924

Eretmocera penthaxantha Meyrick, 1929

Scythris kibarae Matsumura, 1931

Scythris mitakeana Matsumura, 1931

* phylogenetic sequence #048055

Wingspan about 12 mm. About 6 mm long.

Adult - two forms, one with plain blackish wings, the other with distinctive yellow spots - 1 pair near wing base and another pair at tip. Both have diagnostic yellow abdomens.

Female abdomen segment 1 black, rest yellow-orange, sometimes dusted with tiny dark flecks. Abdomen color is brighter in females. Male abdomen has wide black median area, widest on segment 1, narrowing to tip, sometimes black area is separated with yellow-orange, so black appears as spots or center stripes. Male abdomen has yellow to orange tufted, flared projections on each side of abdomen tip that protrude beyond wing edges. Abdomen color and flaring is unique.

Female:

Native range is Asia, introduced to Europe and the United States (Pennsylvania in 2011). By 2014 reported in Ontario, Virginia and West Virginia.

Disturbed lands, railway rights, industrial lands.

Early June to September.

Larvae on Chenopodium album and Halberd-leaf Orache Atriplex patula

Larvae weave silken nests between leave and or flower buds. Early instars are gregarious. Cocoons are formed under a silken pad made on a leaf. At least 3 generations per season.

Types:

Butalis sinensis Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875. Type locality: China, Shanghai. BOLD:ABA2267

Felder, C., R. Felder & A.F. Rogenhofer 1875. Reise der Österreichischen Fregatte Novara um die Erde in de Jahren 1857, 1858, 1859 unter den Befehlen des Commodore B. von Wüllerstorf-Urbair. Geologischer Theil. von Dr Ferdinand von Hochstetter 2(Abth. 2)(5): pl.140, f.11

Zootaxa, 2013, #3749: Shared Holarctic Microlepidoptera by Landry et al. pp. 38-39 – Note: pinned specimens are both male. Both forms appear in North America.

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UK Moths