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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Twirler Moths and kin (Gelechioidea) » Depressariidae » Depressariinae » Semioscopis

Genus Semioscopis

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Season · Food · Internet References

Semioscopis moth - Semioscopis aurorella

Aurora Semioscopis - Semioscopis aurorella

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 Gelechioidea (Twirler Moths and kin)

Family Depressariidae

Subfamily Depressariinae

Genus Semioscopis

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Semioscopis spp. are in the Family: Oecophoridae in Hodges' Check List. More recent classification (Ottawa) places the genus in the Family: Elachistidae, SF: Depressariinae. I (TT) am leavig them here, in Oecophoridae, for convenience.

Brian Pitkin et al have rejected the placement of Semioscopis in the family Elachistidae by Hodges, in Kristensen (1999), due to the "radically different and contentious nature" of Hodges' classification of Gelechioidea, and follow Nye and Fletcher (1991) in placing Semioscopis in Oecophoridae (see Internet References section below)

Numbers

6 species in North America (nearctica.com)

Size

wingspan 18-28 mm

Identification

aurorella: BOLD:AAA8434 [NB, ON, MN, AB]

mcdunnoughi: BOLD:ABZ4787 [KS, MT, WA, BC]

inornata: BOLD:AAA4335 [NB, QC, ON, MN, AB, BC]

inornata: BOLD:AAA4336 [BC]

inornata: BOLD:ADR0622 [MT]

megamicrella: BOLD:AAB0426 [NB, QC, ON, MN]

packardella: BOLD:AAB1539 [PE, NB, QC, ON, VA, TN]

merriccella: BOLD:AAC6293 [ON, VA, TN, BC]

strigulana: BOLD:AAF0872 [Europe]

oculella: BOLD:AAJ7217 [Europe]

steinkellneriana: BOLD:AAD3822 [Europe]

avellanella: BOLD:AAH9809 [Europe]

similis: BOLD:ADM2194 [China]

Range

Much of United States (except the Southeast) and southern Canada but distribution seems patchy and not well known.

Also represented throughout Eurasia.

Season

Adults fly in spring.

Food

Larvae feed on leaves of various trees and shrubs.

Internet References

pinned adult images by Jim Vargo (Moth Photographers Group)

live adult images by various photographers (Moth Photographers Group)

list of Palearctic and Nearctic species plus food plants, links to other sites, references (Markku Savela, FUNET)

classification in family Oecophoridae, subfamily Depressariinae (Brian Pitkin et al, Butterflies and Moths of the World)

Contributed by Robin McLeod on 7 April, 2005 - 1:19pm
Additional contributions by Tony-2, ceiseman, Blocky
Last updated 29 April, 2023 - 7:07pm

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