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Species Acrolophus mortipennella - Hodges#0366

Representative Images

what species? - Acrolophus mortipennella two moths - Acrolophus mortipennella Please help us to identify this moth. - Acrolophus mortipennella #0366 - Acrolophus mortipennella? - Acrolophus mortipennella Acrolophus - Acrolophus mortipennella Long-horned Grass Tubeworm - Acrolophus mortipennella? - Acrolophus mortipennella Acrolophus mortipennella Acrolophus mortipennella
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 Tineoidea (Tubeworm, Bagworm, and Clothes Moths)
Family Tineidae (Clothes Moths)
Subfamily Acrolophinae (Burrowing Webworm Moths)
Genus Acrolophus (Tubeworm Moths)
Species mortipennella (Acrolophus mortipennella - Hodges#0366)

Hodges Number

0366

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Acrolophus mortipennella (Grote(1), 1872)
Anaphora mortipennella Grote, 1872

Size

wingspan 23-30mm, based on MPG photos

Identification

Males have exceptionally long palps and a very “dainty” thorax (barely thicker than the head), which means the palps appear to be held well *above* the thorax, not right up against them:

Females have a distinctive “triangular” look from the side, due to the thin thorax, thin head, and tapering palps:

The female’s palps are shorter than those of plumifrontella, but longer than those of female popeanella/propinqua/texanella.
Also usually has a contrastingly dark costa near the base of the forewings.

Range

Common in the Midwest and Southeast, but rare to absent in the Northeast.