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Species Adela caeruleella - Southern Longhorn Moth - Hodges#0227

Representative Images

flowerbugs - Adela caeruleella Moth - Adela caeruleella - female nectar-feeding flyer with HUGEMONGOUS antenna - Adela caeruleella - male Moth - Adela caeruleella Moth-I think - Adela caeruleella - female Southern Longhorn Moth - Adela caeruleella A longhorn moth? Antennae 4x body length. - Adela caeruleella - male Adela caeruleella - male
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 Adeloidea (Fairy Moths and kin)
Family Adelidae (Fairy Moths)
Subfamily Adelinae
Genus Adela
Species caeruleella (Southern Longhorn Moth - Hodges#0227)

Hodges Number

0227

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Adela caeruleella Walker, 1863; Synonyms below from Funet):
Adela bella Chambers, 1873    [Original description here]
Adela chalybeis Zeller 1873
Adela iochroa Zeller 1877
Adela aeruginosella Walsingham, 1890

Explanation of Names

From Latin: caerule = blue + -ella = small (1).

Range

Eastern North America from Quebec to Florida, west to Texas.

Season

Flight period: March in Florida, April & May northward, August in Quebec.

Remarks

In females, the antennae are thickened in the basal half by dense purplish scaling and filamentous white on the distal half.

Print References

Borror(1): entries for caerule, -ell
Holland(2): p. 437, plate 48--fig. 45, Adela bella Chambers
Powell(3): see entries for bella and aeruginosella on pg. 218

Internet References

Moth Photographers Group species page
Microleps.org Adelidae page: photos of male, and some similar species.

Works Cited

1.Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms
Donald J. Borror. 1960. Mayfield Publishing Company.
2.The Moth Book
W.J. Holland. 1968. Dover.
3.A Synopsis of Nearctic Adelid Moths, with Descriptions of New Species (Incurvariidae)
Jerry A. Powell. 1969. Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 23(4): 211-240.
Contributed by Sean McCann on 13 December, 2007 - 1:39pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Aaron Schusteff, Vox Sciurorum, Kyhl Austin
Last updated 31 December, 2015 - 9:36pm

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