Species Chalcoela iphitalis - Sooty-winged Chalcoela - Hodges#4895 (original) (raw)

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 Glaphyriinae

Genus Chalcoela

Species iphitalis (Sooty-winged Chalcoela - Hodges#4895)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Chalcoela iphitalis (Walker, 1859)

Cataclysta iphitalis Walker, 1859

Chalcoela aurifera Zeller, 1872

* phylogenetic sequence #147100

Numbers

One of two species in this genus in North America.

Size

Forewing length 9-11 mm. (1)

Identification

Adult - head and body yellowish-orange; large silvery-gray patch covers almost the distal half of the forewing and hindwing; hindwing rear edge has several black spots.

Range

California, Arizona, Texas to South Carolina, north to Michigan and New Brunswick.

Season

Adults fly from May to August.

Food

Paper wasp (Polistinae) larvae.

Life Cycle

Larvae are parasitoids that feed on the larvae of paper wasps (Polistinae) including Mischocyttarus basimacula and several Polistes. Larvae make visable webs on the nest and early instars often can be seen on the web. They overwinter as pupae in the wasp nest pupal chambers. (2)

Webbing in wasp nests:

Print References

Madden, A. A., M. M. Davis, P. T. Sparks 2010. First detailed report of brood parasitoidism in the invasive population of the paper wasp Polistes dominulus (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) in North America. Insectes Sociaux 57: 257-260. (2)

Powell, J. A. & P. A. Opler 2009. Moths of Western North America. University of California Press. pl.22.12m, p.172 (1)

Rau, P. 1941. Observations on certain lepidopterous and hymenopterous parasites of Polistes wasps. Ann. Ent. Soc. America 34(2): 355-366.

Walker, F. 1859. Deltoides. List spec. Lep. Ins. British Museum 16: 444

Zeller, P. C. 1872. Beiträge zur Kentniss der nordamericanischen Nachtfalter besonders der Microlepidopteren. Verh. Zool.-bot. Ges. Wien 22: 529, pl.2, f.2 (Chalcoela aurifera}

Internet References

live adult images (Claire Curry, Texas)

adult images (Larry Line, Maryland)

Works Cited