Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada

Species Periploca atrata - Juniper cone moth - Hodges#1571

Larva within Alligator Juniper berry - Periploca atrata Larva within Alligator Juniper berry, close - Periploca atrata Larva excised from Alligator Juniper berry - Periploca atrata Larva excised from Alligator Juniper berry, preserved, dorsal - Periploca atrata Larva excised from Alligator Juniper berry, preserved, lateral - Periploca atrata Larva excised from Alligator Juniper berry, preserved, ventral abdomen, anterior head - Periploca atrata Pupa within Alligator Juniper berry - Periploca atrata
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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 Cosmopterigidae (Cosmet Moths)
Subfamily Chrysopeleiinae
Genus Periploca
Species atrata ( Juniper cone moth - Hodges#1571)
Hodges Number
1571
Explanation of Names
Periploca atrata Hodges, 1962(1)
Range
CA, AZ, and (BG record) NM
Food
Larvae hollow out and inhabit the seeds of Juniperus spp. (juniper) berry-like cones. They have been recorded in J. califonica, J. deppeana, J. occidentalis, and J. osteosperma(2)(3).
Life Cycle
See references(3)(4)
Internet References
Works Cited
1.A review of the genus Periploca with descriptions of nine new species (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea)
R. W. Hodges. 1962. The Pan-Pacific entomologist, Vol. 38, No. 2, pp. 83-97.
2.Observations on larval and pupal habits of the juniper cone moth, Periphca atrata Hodges (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea)
J. A. Powell. 1963. The Pan-Pacific entomologist, Vol. 39, pp. 177-181.
3.Life history and distributional information for 3 species of Periploca...inhabiting Juniperus spp...berries in the western U.S.
Kirk C. Tonkel, Lindsay A. Dimitri, Brian G. Rector, William S. Longland, and Veronica S. Kirchoff . 2019. The Pan-Pacific Entomologist, 95(1):37-46.
4.The insect microcosm of Western Juniper berries
L. A. Dimitri, K. C. Tonkel, W. S. Longland, and B. G. Rector. 2014. Rangelands 36(3):8-11.