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Genus Homaledra

Representative Images

Which case bearing moth? - Homaledra octagonella Homaledra sabalella Octagonal Casemaker - Homaledra octagonella Palm Leaf Skeletonizer - Homaledra sabalella Octagonal Casemaker Moth? - Homaledra octagonella Very long antennae - Homaledra howardi Moth with four dots - Homaledra octagonella Casebearer? on Elm Leaf - Homaledra octagonella
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 Pterolonchidae
Genus Homaledra

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Homaledra Busck, 1900

Explanation of Names

From Greek homalos (ομαλος)- "even, level" + edra (εδρα)- "seat, sitting". This apparently refers to the way the moth lies flat at rest rather than "sitting up" like those in the genus Batrachedra.

Identification

Adult - forewing light brown (in sabalela) to brownish-orange (in heptathalama), very slender, almost parallel-sided for most of length, tapering to a rounded point at apex; mostly unmarked in sabalela but with white exclamation-like marking in heptathalama; hindwing consists of a rod-like or spike-like midrib; all wings with long fringe of hair-like scales, very prominent in spread specimens, but hidden beneath forewings (which are hugged close to the body) in live individuals at rest.

Range

se US (TX-FL-NC-TN, stray to MD?) - BG data

Season

Adults of H. heptathalama are present from March to October in Florida.

Food

Larvae feed on leaves of palmetto ( Sabal spp.).

See Also

Other genera and families in the superfamily Gelechioidea are similar.

Print References

Busck, A. 1900. A new species of moths of the superfamily Tineina from Florida. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 23: 236-237.
Contributed by Robin McLeod on 26 May, 2006 - 7:42pm
Additional contributions by Chuck Entz, Mike Quinn, ceiseman, Randy Hardy
Last updated 2 December, 2021 - 9:13am

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