Species Blastobasis glandulella - Acorn Moth - Hodges#1162 (original) (raw)

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 Blastobasidae (Scavenger Moths)

Subfamily Blastobasinae (Scavenger Moths)

Tribe Blastobasini

Genus Blastobasis

Species glandulella (Acorn Moth - Hodges#1162)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Blastobasis glandulella (Riley, 1871)

Gelechia glandulella Riley, 1871

Holcocera modestella Clemens, 1863

Blastobasis nubilella Zeller, 1873

Blastobasis glandulella

Valentinia glandulella

Phylogenetic sequence #421766

Size

Wingspan 15-25 mm (1)

Forewing length 8-11 mm. (2)

Identification

The only sure way to identify this and most other Blastobasidae is by microscopic examination of the genitalia or by DNA barcoding and even those methods may not result in a species identification since there are many undescribed species in North America.

Adult - forewing gray to grayish-brown with pale diffuse AM line bordered distally by dark band (sometimes absent); 1 black median dot and 2 black reniform dots form a triangle; terminal line composed of dark dots; hindwing shiny gray with dark veins and fringe of long hair-like scales.

Genitalia:

♀

♂

Range

Eastern half of United States and southern Ontario; Pacific states and southwestern states. (3)

Season

Adults fly from April to September. (1)

Food

Larvae feed inside acorns, chestnuts (1), (2) and hickory nuts (4).

Print References

Riley, C.V. 1871. Miscellaneous notes. The Canadian Entomologist 3(6): 118

Works Cited