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For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada

Species Prolita variabilis - Hodges#1902

Prolita variabilis Prolita variabilis Variable Prolita Moth - Prolita variabilis Variable Prolita Moth - Prolita variabilis Prolita variabilis Prolita variabilis Prolita variabilis Prolita variabilis
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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 Gelechiinae
Tribe Gelechiini
Genus Prolita
Species variabilis (Prolita variabilis - Hodges#1902)
Hodges Number
1902
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Prolita variabilis (Busck, 1903)
Gelechia variabilis Busck, 1903
Lita variabilis (Busck, 1903)
Numbers
There are twenty named species of Prolita in America north of Mexico. (1)
Size
Forewing length 7-10 mm. (1)
Identification
Forewing has variable color and markings. (1)
Range
Plains provinces of Canada, the Great Basin south to northern Arizona and southeastern California; the New England area.(1)
Moth Photographers Group - large map with some distribution data.
Season
Adults are most common from August to October. (MPG)
Food
Comstock (1959) reports larvae on Ericameria linearifolia (DC.) Urbatsch & Wussow [Stenotopsis linearifolius] (narrowleaf goldenbush).
Powell & Opler (2009) reports larval host is unknown. (1)
See Also
Compare on the pinned plates of Moth Photographers Group. (2)
Print References
Busck, A. 1903. A revision of the American moths of the family Gelechiidae, with descriptions of new species. Proceedings of the United States National Museum, 25: 871. (3)
Comstock, J.A. 1959. Rare or common! With notes on the life histories of two southwestern moths. Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences. 58(3): 170.
Hodges, R.W. 1967. Revision of Nearctic Gelechiidae. 1. The Lita group (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea). Proceedings of the United States National Museum., 119: 13, figs. 3-7, 68-70, 146, 151, 173-174. (4)
Powell, J.A. & P.A. Opler 2009. Moths of Western North America. p. 90, pl. 8.12.(1)
Works Cited
1.Moths of Western North America
Powell and Opler. 2009. UC Press.
2.North American Moth Photographers Group
3.A revision of the American moths of the family Gelechiidae, with descriptions of new species
August Busck. 1903. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 25: 767-938.
4.Revision of Nearctic Gelechiidae. 1. The Lita group (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea)
R. W. . Hodges. 1966. Proceedings of The United States National Museum 119: 1-66.