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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Twirler Moths and kin (Gelechioidea) » Depressariidae » Depressariinae » Depressaria » Depressaria alienella - Hodges#926 (Depressaria alienella)

Species Depressaria alienella - Hodges#926

Classification · Hodges Number · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Remarks · See Also · Internet References

Depressaria alienella ? - Depressaria alienella

Depressariinae ? - Depressaria alienella

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 Depressaria

Species alienella (Depressaria alienella - Hodges#926)

Hodges Number

926

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

described in 1904 by Busck

Numbers

one of 24 species in this genus in North America listed at All-Leps

Size

wingspan about 18 mm, based on photo by Jim Vargo at MPG

Identification

Adult: forewing dark brownish-gray with faint pale discal spot; indistinct blackish marks along outer half of costa, at base, and along main (cubital) vein of wing; hingwing pale gray with light brownish shading in outer half; top of head and thorax pale gray, contrasting sharply against dark forewing color

Range

Yukon to Nova Scotia, south to New England, Arizona, and California

Habitat

boreal forest; adults are nocturnal and come to light

Season

adults fly from July to September

Food

larvae feed on flowers of yarrow (Achillea spp.) and sagebrush or wormwood (Artemisia spp.)

Remarks

The geographic locality of the type specimen is uncertain; it was collected either in Rogue River, Oregon or in Kaslo, British Columbia (see page 12 of PDF doc).

See Also

related species do not show sharp contrast between dark forewing and pale top of head and thorax (compare images of several species by Jim Vargo at MPG)

Internet References

pinned adult image and photos of related species by Jim Vargo (Moth Photographers Group)

pinned adult image and collection site map showing presence in Quebec (All-Leps)

distribution; PDF doc plus habitat and larval foodplants (J.D. Lafontaine and D.M. Wood, Butterflies and Moths of the Yukon)

presence in California; list of 3 specimen records with dates and locations (U. of California at Berkeley)

type specimen locality; PDF doc (John Brown et al, Zootaxa, mapress.com)

author, date, and original genus (nearctica.com)

Contributed by Robin McLeod on 24 November, 2008 - 8:52pm
Additional contributions by Steve Nanz
Last updated 10 March, 2020 - 3:45am

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