Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Ermine Moths and kin (Yponomeutoidea) » Diamondback Moths (Plutellidae)

Family Plutellidae - Diamondback Moths

Diamondback moth pupa? - Plutella xylostella

Plutella xylostella? - Plutella xylostella

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 Yponomeutoidea (Ermine Moths and kin)

Family Plutellidae (Diamondback Moths)

Numbers

about 22 species in North America (1)

Identification

Adults - smaller and relatively slender when compared to Ypsolopha (1)

Food

most Plutella feed on Brassicaceae, one of the few moth lineages adapted to do so. Other genera are specialists on unrelated angiosperms, including Berberidaceae, Ericaceae, and Caprifoliaceae (1)

Life Cycle

pupation in a loose-meshed, less compact cocoon than Ypsolopha (1)

Works Cited

1.	Moths of Western North America Powell and Opler. 2009. UC Press.

Contributed by Robin McLeod on 20 August, 2005 - 11:52pm
Additional contributions by Randy Hardy, Kyhl Austin
Last updated 16 March, 2016 - 3:47pm

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by: