|
Species Agriphila vulgivagellus - Vagabond Crambus - Hodges#5403
Classification Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Pyraloidea (Pyralid and Crambid Snout Moths)
Family Crambidae (Crambid Snout Moths)
Subfamily Crambinae (Crambine Snout Moths)
Tribe Crambini (Grass-Veneers)
Genus Agriphila
Species vulgivagellus (Vagabond Crambus - Hodges#5403)
Other Common Names Vagabond Sod Webworm Synonyms and other taxonomic changes Agriphila vulgivagellus (Clemens, 1860)
* Phylogenetic sequence #161000. Numbers 11 species occur in America north of Mexico. (MPG checklist)Identification Adult: head with long hairy "snout"; forewing dull yellowish with brown speckling between veins, giving streaked appearance to wing; no AM, PM, or ST lines; terminal line composed of seven black dots; fringe gold or bronze but may look black at certain angles and/or in certain light.
Range Quebec and New England to Florida, west to Texas, north to Alberta. Habitat Grasslands, fields, gardens; adults are attracted to light. Season Univoltine. On Block Island, RI, adults are extremely common in grassy areas but with a very short flight almost entirely from mid-September to early October. (1)Food Larvae feed on grass, wheat, rye, and other grains. [Fernald 1896] Life Cycle One generation per year; overwinters as an immature larva.
Remarks Larvae are a serious agricultural pest in some areas. See Also Lesser Vagabond Sod Webworm ( Agriphila ruricolella) has a median line represented by a diagonal smear or diffuse smudge (sometimes faint) across the veins, and a subterminal (ST) line that may be indistinct and incomplete but usually visible
Cranberry Girdler ( Chrysoteuchia topiaria) has an angled, silvery-gray subterminal line, and a terminal line composed of a thin black line near the apex, and three black dots near the anal angle
in the great plains/prairies and westward, Agriphila plumbifimbriella is very similar but has a thin dark ST line that angles sharply near the costa and extends toward the base a considerable distance before touching the costa Internet References Moth Photographers Group - range map, living and pinned adults.
Maryland Moths pinned and live adult images (Larry Line, Maryland)
pinned adult image (John Snyder, Furman U., South Carolina)
pinned adult image (David Smith, Furman U., South Carolina)
overview including habitat, flight season, description, food plants, distribution, pinned adult image (Strickland Entomological Museum, U. of Alberta)
presence in Florida; list (Michael Thomas, Florida State Collection of Arthropods) |
|
|
|
