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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Twirler Moths and kin (Gelechioidea) » Twirler Moths (Gelechiidae) » Dichomeridinae » Dichomeris » Palmerworm Moth - Hodges#2281 (Dichomeris ligulella)

Species Dichomeris ligulella - Palmerworm Moth - Hodges#2281

Classification · Hodges Number · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Size · Identification · Range · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Palmerworm moth - Dichomeris ligulella - male

Gelechiidae, Palmerworm Moth, spent pupa - Dichomeris ligulella

Ten-spot Honeysuckle? - Dichomeris ligulella

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 Gelechiidae (Twirler Moths)

Subfamily Dichomeridinae

Genus Dichomeris

Species ligulella (Palmerworm Moth - Hodges#2281)

Hodges Number

2281

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Dichomeris ligulella Hübner, 1818

Chaetochilus contubernalellus Fitch, 1853 (1)

Rhinocera pometella Harris, 1853 (1)

Chaetochilus malifoliellus Fitch, 1854 (1)

Ypsolophus pauciguttellus Clemens, 1863 (1)

Ypsolophus flavivittellus Clemens, 1864 (1)

Ypsolophus reedella Chambers, 1872 (1)

Ypsolophus quercipominella Chambers, 1872 (1)

Size

Wingspan 15-18 mm. (2)

Identification

Adult - forewing elongate. Dimorphic: forewing brown in one morph, blackish with cream-colored costal streak in the other. Hindwing bluish-gray, translucent.

This dimorphism was previously (until 2020) described as being sexual here, an error replicated in Peterson’s guides and probably elsewhere. This is not accurate, and it is unclear how the misconception originated.

(3), (2)

Range

Records from the eastern half of the United States and southeastern Canada, Texas. (4), (5), (6), (7)

Season

Adults fly year round in the south. (4)

In northern states, adults appear in July and August.(8)

Food

Larval hosts include apple, hackberry, hazel, oak, basswood and cherry. Larvae skeletonize leaves and sometimes fold or roll them when feeding. (2)

Life Cycle

Overwinters as an adult. Lays single eggs in the spring.

Eggs are laid on the underside of leaves. The larvae feed and skeletonize the leaves either openly or in folded/rolled leaves. Pupation occurs in these rolls or in the ground litter.(8)

Overwinter as adults.(8)

Print References

Beadle, D. & S. Leckie 2012. Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America. Houghton Mifflin. p.66-67 (preview) (3)

Covell Jr., C.V. 1984. Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America. Houghton Mifflin Company. p.437, pl.64.6 (2)

Hodges, R.W. 1986. The Moths of America North of Mexico, Fascicle 7.1. The Wedge Entomological Research Foundation, p.33; pl.1.1-7 (9)

Internet References

Moth Photographers Group (4)

Moths of North Dakota

Forest Pests

The Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) (10)

Works Cited

1.	Checklist of Gelechiidae (Lepidoptera) in America North of Mexico Lee S., Hodges R.W., Brown R.L. 2009. Zootaxa 2231: 1–39.

2.	Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America Charles V. Covell, Jr. 2005.

3.	Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America David Beadle and Seabrooke Leckie. 2012. Houghton Mifflin.

4.	North American Moth Photographers Group

5.	A List of the Lepidoptera of Maine. Part 2, The Microlepidoptera. Section 1 & 2 Auburn E. Brower. 1984. Maine Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Bulletin 114: 1-70.

6.	Lepidoptera of the Archbold Biological Station, Highlands County, Florida Marc C. Minno. 1992. Florida Entomologist 75: 297-329.

7.	Moths of Brackenridge Field Laboratory University of Texas at Austin

8.	Eastern Forest Insects Whiteford L. Baker. 1972. U.S. Department of Agriculture · Forest Service.

9.	The Moths of America North of Mexico: Fascicle 7.1, Revision of North American Gelechiidae family and... Hodges, R. W. 1986. The Wedge Entomological Research Foundation.

10.	BOLD: The Barcode of Life Data Systems

Contributed by Robin McLeod on 24 November, 2005 - 7:05pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Maury Heiman, ceiseman, Robert Lord Zimlich, Randy Hardy, Marci Hess, Blocky
Last updated 3 September, 2023 - 1:07pm

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