Species Gerdana caritella - Hodges#1144

1144

Gerdana caritella Busck, 1908

Mnesistega telemacha Meyrick, 1927 (356)

8 to 9 mm long. Wingspan 13-14 mm. (1) Syn. Mnesistega telemacha 17 mm.

Head: Straw to light yellow, head mostly smooth with a few scales on top. Palpi curved upward, but not reaching top of head; yellow, scaled on underside, some brown.

Antenna: About 2/3 of wing length. Yellow.

Thorax: Light brown-yellow, usually darker than head and wings.

Wings: Straw yellow with brownish marks. Brown patch at wing base across width. 2 brown dots at mid wing. Large dash in discal cell, with spot above on inner margin, sometimes connected. 2 rows of brown speckling at wing tip. Fringe light yellow. Hindwings yellowish-white to gray, fringe yellowish. Scales rub off easily, all marks may not be present.

Legs: Yellow, sprinkled with brown on top side.

Abdomen: Yellow, slightly flattened and spined.

Genitalia:

♀

♂

U.S. except west coast; British Columbia and Ontario.

Forests.

June to August

Fungus-like Witches’-broom, mistletoe, bird nest debris, and fungus on spruce (Picea).

Larvae have been reared from Witches’-broom and from owl nests.

Types:

Holotype as Gerdana caritella by Busck. #11939. Locality: Unknown. In U.S. National Museum, Smithsonian.

Holotype as Mnesistega telemacha female by Meyrick. Locality: Toronto, Ontario. Museum unknown.

Busck, A. 1909 [1908]: 193-194 (1)

Clarke. J.F.G., 1942. Revision of the North American moths of the family Oecophoridae, with descriptions of new genera and species. Proceedings of the United States National Museum, 90: 272 (genus description and plates showing genitalia; only one species recognized)

Forbes, 1923: 234 (2)

Meyrick, E. 1923. Exotic Microlepidoptera, 3: 356 (3)

Moth Photographers Group (MPG) (4)

The Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) (5)