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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
Moth - ID me - Dichomeris ligulella Moth – Palmerworm - 2281 – Dorsal - Dichomeris ligulella - female Palmerworm Moth - Dichomeris ligulella Palmerworm Moth - Dichomeris ligulella Gelechiidae: Dichomeris ligulella - Dichomeris ligulella - female Dichomeris ligulella Dichomeris ligulella 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)
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.
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 (8)
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group (4)
Moths of North Dakota
Forest Pests
The Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) (9)
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.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.
9.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, Blocky
Last updated 6 March, 2020 - 7:43pm

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