Species Thyridopteryx meadii - Creosote Bush Bagworm - Hodges#0455

Classification · Hodges Number · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Size · Identification · Range · Food · Life Cycle · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Creosote Bush Bagworm Pupa - Thyridopteryx meadii

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Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)

Superfamily Tineoidea (Tubeworm, Bagworm, and Clothes Moths)

Family Psychidae (Bagworm Moths)

Subfamily Oiketicinae

Genus Thyridopteryx

Species meadii (Creosote Bush Bagworm - Hodges#0455)

Hodges Number

0455

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Thyridopteryx meadii Edwards, 1881

Explanation of Names

Named in honor of Mr. T. L. Mead, an important collector of lepidoptera with many species named for him.

Size

Forewing length 8.5-11 mm (Powell & Opler, 2009).(1)

Wingspan 20-33 mm (Davis, 1964).(2)

Larval case 30-40 mm (Powell & Opler, 2009).(1)

Identification

Adult - females are wingless and remain in their cases throughout the lives (Comstock, 1937).

Range

Western Texas to the Mohave Desert in Calfornia (Powell & Opler, 2009).(1)

Food

Larval host is primarily creosote bush (Larrea tridentata, Zygophyllaceae) but has also been found on mesquite (Prosopis, Fabaceae) in Texas (Davis, 1964).(2)

Life Cycle

Larvae can remain dormant for months in their adorned cases while waiting for rains and new growth on creosote (Davis, 1964). Parasitized by the Diptera Chetogena tachinomoides (Townsend) and the Hymenoptera Allocota thyridopterigis (Riley) (Comstock, 1937).

Print References

Comstock, J. A. 1937. Miscellaneous notes on western lepidoptera. Bulletin Southern California Academy of Sciences 36(1): 22, pl.9

Davis, D. R. 1964. Bagworm moths of the Western Hemisphere (Lepidoptera: Psychidae). USNM Bulletin 244: 131 (2)

Edwards, Hy. 1881. Descriptions of some new species of Heterocera. Papilio 1(7): 116

Powell, J. A. & P. A. Opler 2009. Moths of Western North America. pl.2.49m; p.52

Internet References

Moth Photographers Group - species page

Works Cited

1.	Moths of Western North America Powell and Opler. 2009. UC Press.

2.	Bagworm Moths of the Western Hemisphere Donald R. Davis. 1964. Smithsonian Institution.

Contributed by Jeff Hollenbeck on 13 October, 2006 - 10:21pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Vox Sciurorum, James Bailey, Randy Hardy
Last updated 3 September, 2021 - 1:44am

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