Zophodia leithella

Zophodia leithella is a species of snout moth in the genus Zophodia.

Zophodia leithella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Pyralidae
Genus:
Zophodia
Species:
Z. leithella
Binomial name
Zophodia leithella
(Dyar, 1928)
Synonyms
  • Cactoblastis leithella Dyar, 1928
  • Amalafrida leithella

History

It was described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1928.

Location

It is found in northern Venezuela and Colombia, in the Caribbean (Curaçao) and in southern Mexico.[1]

Appearance

The wingspan is 30–33 mm. The forewings are greyish brown with darker markings and the hindwings are almost wholly white in males and mainly fuscous in females.

Larval Behaviours & Life Cycle

The larvae feed on Platyopuntia species. They are solitary and feed within the stem of their host plant. The larvae are greyish with broad transverse bands. Full-grown larvae cut through the cuticle of the host plant to form a trapdoor, the free edges of which are cemented to the surface. The cocoon is spun within the larval cavity and possesses a long neck extending to the trapdoor, which is pushed open by the emerging adult.[2]

References
  1. Cactus Feeding Moths
  2. Mann, John (1969). "Cactus-Feeding Insects and Mites". Bulletin of the United States National Museum (256): 1–158, 8 plates. doi:10.5479/si.03629236.256.1. hdl:10088/10142.


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