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Genus Crambus

Crambus rickseckerellus Moth - Crambus Leach's Grass-veneer - Crambus leachellus  Crambus harrisi  - Crambus harrisi Crambus leachellus Crambus saltuellus Crambus cypridalis Lépidoptère - Crambus albellus
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Pyraloidea (Pyralid and Crambid Snout Moths)
Family Crambidae (Crambid Snout Moths)
Subfamily Crambinae (Crambine Snout Moths)
Tribe Crambini (Grass-Veneers)
Genus Crambus
Other Common Names
grass moths (adult)
grass-veneers (adult)
snout moths (adult)
webworms (larva)
sod webworms (larva)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Crambus Fabricius, 1798
Palparia Haworth, 1811
Chilus Billberg, 1820
Tetrachila Hübner, 1822
Argyroteuchia Hübner, [1825]
Arequipa Walker, 1863
Explanation of Names
Generic epithet Crambus is Greek meaning "dry, parched." Also, in Greek mythology, the child of Phineus and Cleopatra. (1)
Numbers
42 species in our area. (2) It is the second most speciose Pyraloid genus in our area (Pyrausta has 61 named species in our area).
Identification
Adult - forewing slender, held close to body when at rest, variably brown to yellowish to whitish, often with white longitudinal streak; long labial palps form a snout.
Range
Throughout United States and southern Canada. Also represented throughout Eurasia.
Habitat
Fields, grassy areas, lawns, waste places; some species may be active during the day but mainly crepuscular/nocturnal and attracted to light.
Food
Larvae feed mostly on grasses.
Internet References
pinned adult images of 15 species by Jim Vargo (Moth Photographers Group)
links to adult images of 15 species (Larry Line, Maryland)
links to many adult images from Eurasia and North America (Markku Savela, FUNET)
Works Cited
1.An accentuated list of the British Lepidoptera, with hints on the derivation of the names.
Anonymous. 1858. The Entomological Societies of Oxford and Cambridge.
2.Annotated check list of the Pyraloidea (Lepidoptera) of America North of Mexico
Scholtens, B.G., Solis, A.M. 2015. ZooKeys 535: 1–136. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.535.6086.