Glyphipterigidae, False Diamondback Moth, 4 cocoons on Carrionflowers - Acrolepiopsis incertella

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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Ermine Moths and kin (Yponomeutoidea) » Sedge and False Diamondback Moths (Glyphipterigidae) » False Diamondback Moths (Acrolepiinae) » Acrolepiopsis » Carrionflower Moth - Hodges#2490 (Acrolepiopsis incertella)

Photo#1771848

Copyright © 2020 MJ Hatfield

Glyphipterigidae, False Diamondback Moth, 4 cocoons on Carrionflowers - Acrolepiopsis incertella

Plymouth Rock Pioneer Cemetery, Winneshiek County, Iowa, USA
January 16, 2020
Size: 6-8 mm

January 14, 2020: collected dried fruits and seeds from various native plants looking for insect sign. Fruits of Carrion flower, Smilax perhaps herbacea, had evidence of herbivory, some with holes in the berry covering and some berries with frass inside. I was so intent on looking at the berries I nearly missed these 3 lacy cocoons attached to the pedicels. One more cocoon was found on a different umbel.

Cocoon #2, #3 and #4 each had a spent pupa inside but cocoon #1 was empty (What's with that?).

With only lacy cocoons and spent pupae

can species be determined?

November 29, 2021: ID based on this moth emergence:

Images of this individual: tag all

Glyphipterigidae, False Diamondback Moth, 4 cocoons on Carrionflowers - Acrolepiopsis incertella

Glyphipterigidae, False Diamondback Moth, cocoon #2, #3 - Acrolepiopsis incertella

Glyphipterigidae, False Diamondback Moth, cocoon #2 - Acrolepiopsis incertella

Glyphipterigidae, False Diamondback Moth, cocoon #2, spent pupa, lateral - Acrolepiopsis incertella

Glyphipterigidae, False Diamondback Moth, #2 spent pupa, dorsal - Acrolepiopsis incertella

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Contributed by MJ Hatfield on 17 January, 2020 - 2:27pm
Last updated 7 April, 2022 - 4:09pm

Moved

Moved from Acrolepiopsis.

… MJ Hatfield, 7 April, 2022 - 4:05pm

Cool! Nice find

Terry writes on one of the pages you link to:
"Unlike A. incertella, which occurs as a larva in early May (central Illinois), the larva of A. heppneri feeds in late summer and early autumn." Wouldn't this be more likely to be heppneri then, since the cocoons are occurring on the reproductive parts of the plant, which presumably aren't appearing until well after early May?
Incidentally, there's an overwintering larva in the dead stems of herbaceous Smilax that I've been trying to relocate in quantity after an initial unsuccessful attempt to rear a couple years ago. Trouble is, I don't run into the plant very often, but if you do and would be willing to save the winter stems, they might contain a mystery larva that would be worth rearing out.
Thanks again for the invitation to the Prairie Smoke event. I regret missing it but decided rather last minute that another event was a better fit for what I needed that day. I hope your presentation was enthusiastically received!

… John van der Linden, 29 January, 2020 - 10:09pm

That makes sense.

I read the descriptions and the differences went right by me.

I collected a Smilax stem for you but was unsure how to contain it. Broke it into about 10" pieces to fit in a jar however upon seeing an orange colored hole in a broken piece, opened it to a linear 'dug out' with orange wads of frass. It was empty. Do you want the 10" pieces of stem? Do you want me to collect the other stem? Leave it whole outside or in the cool of the garage?

… MJ Hatfield, 1 February, 2020 - 7:03pm

That sounds just like it!

For some reason an orange discoloration does seem to be associated with the larva I've been following -- not sure why. Interesting that you found an exit hole leading to an empty chamber.
I'd happily accept the 10" pieces; perhaps we can arrange a handoff...next time you come to Decorah, or otherwise I could stop by your place and pick them up. It might be interesting to mark the other stem and leave it outside until spring so that the elements can have their way with it (might make for better chance of survival of any larvae inside of it?)...then it would just be a matter of remembering to bring it inside in the spring and see what emerges.

… John van der Linden, 3 February, 2020 - 12:15pm

Oops.

I cut into the 10" pieces to about 5 mines, all empty save one which had a dead larva, perhaps a beetle with some small projections at the end of the abdomen.
Your call on the last stem.

… MJ Hatfield, 3 February, 2020 - 7:19pm

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