Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

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National Moth Week was July 19-27, and the Summer 2025 gathering in Louisiana, July 19-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Subfamily Symmocinae

Representative Images

moth - Taygete attributella Gerdana caritella, 1144 - Gerdana caritella Small, yellow moth - Gerdana caritella Moth - Taygete decemmaculella Spinitibia hodgesi? - Spinitibia hodgesi moth - Gerdana caritella - female Gelechiloidea? - Taygete gallaegenitella Taygete attributella
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 Autostichidae
Subfamily Symmocinae

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Symmocinae Gozmány, 1957

Numbers

10 species in 5 genera in our area (1).

Identification

"Defined by forewing with CuP absent (parallelism with other Gelechioidea), female with retinaculum consisting of a series of anteriorly directed scales between CuA and R (parallelism with other Gelechioidea), second abdominal sternum with venula, venula + apodeme, orapodeme (polymorphy), forewing with R5 terminating on outer margin or on costa (polymorphy). Gnathos a slender band fused to tegumen, forming non-articulated mesial hook, abdominal terga II–VII crossed by bands" (2).

Works Cited

1.Annotated taxonomic checklist of the Lepidoptera of North America, North of Mexico
Pohl, G.R., Patterson, B., & Pelham, J.P. 2016. ResearchGate.net.
2.A review of Symmocinae (Lepidoptera: Autostichidae) in North America with the description of a new species and new genus
Sangmi Lee, Richard L. Brown. 2010. Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society 64(4): 177–187.
Contributed by Chuck Entz on 7 September, 2009 - 9:36pm
Additional contributions by Randy Hardy, Kyhl Austin
Last updated 7 January, 2017 - 5:01pm

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