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Species Aetole tripunctella - Hodges#2505

Representative Images

Red and Black Tiny Lepidoptera - Aetole tripunctella Aetole tripunctella Crusader moth - Aetole tripunctella Unusual Lepidopteran - Aetole tripunctella Micromoth with spiky legs - Aetole tripunctella No. 344 Aetole unipunctella, Aetole tripunctella or other? - Aetole tripunctella #2505 - Aetole tripunctella - Aetole tripunctella Aetole tripunctella
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 Heliodinidae (Sun Moths)
Genus Aetole
Species tripunctella (Aetole tripunctella - Hodges#2505)

Hodges Number

2505

Other Common Names

Brilliant Sunspur (1)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Aetole tripunctella (Walsingham)
Orig. Comb: Heliodines tripunctella Walsingham 1892
Syn: Heliodines perichalca Meyrick, 1912 (2)

Size

forewing length 3.8 - 5 mm (2)

Identification

Adults - metallic chrome orange edged by elongate metallic gray tinged with blue, outer margin extending inward over half of dorsum and 1/3 of costa; three costal and one dorsal metallic gray spots tinged with blue. Spots rectangular, edged laterally in black. Outer margin also edged in metallic black. Fringe metallic gray (2)

Range

mostly Great Plains to Front Range - Map - MPG

Season

mostly May-Sept (3) - MPG

Life Cycle

larva is a leaf miner of heartleaf four o'clock (Mirabilis nyctaginea, Nyctaginaceae) (2)

Remarks

Type Locality: Bosque County, Texas; Type collected by Belfrage

Print References

Hsu, Y.-F., and J.A. Powell. 2005. Phylogenetic relationships within Heliodinidae and systematics of moths formerly assigned to Heliodines Stainton (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutoidea). University of California Publications in Entomology 124: 1-158 + Figs. 26-220. Limited Preview

Internet References

Moth Photographers Group - MPG
Microleps

Works Cited

1.iNaturalist
2.Phylogenetic Relationships within Heliodinidae
3.Illustrated Checklist of Lepidoptera from the Texas Hill Country and Adjacent Areas, Pub. 8
Ed Knudson & Charles Bordelon. 2001. Texas Lepidoptera Survey, Houston. 37 pp., 10 color plates.
Contributed by Mike Quinn on 4 August, 2009 - 10:09am
Additional contributions by Randy Hardy
Last updated 27 November, 2020 - 3:16pm

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