Anatrachyntis rileyi
Encyclopedia
The Pink Cornworm, Pink Bud Moth or Pink Scavenger (Anatrachyntis rileyi) is a species of moth
of the Cosmopterigidae
family. It was first described from the southern United States
, but it is probably an introduction to North America
. It is found in much of the warm or tropical areas of the world, including northern Australia
, the Galapagos Islands
, Hawaii
, the Antilles
and South America
(south to Argentina
).
The wingspan
is 9-12 mm. They have brown fore wings with pale streaks, and plain grey hind wings, each edged with a fringe. When at rest, the moth extends its antennae straight out in front of its head.
The larvae feed on vegetable trash. It has been found in many kinds of old leguminous pods, aloe, banana, coffee beans, coffee, cherries, castor oil beans and pods, cotton bolls, eggplant, milo maize grain, old maize silk, dead Panicum torridum, pineapple (dried parts, fruits, stored seeds), Crassula
, Samanea saman
, Sapindus oahuensis
, tamarind, and others.
Full-grown larvae are 7-8 mm long, cylindrical and pink to deep wine red with a dark brown thorax, a pale brown head, and a black mouth.
The larva pupates in a whitish cocoon amongst the frass where it has fed. The pupa is 4-5 mm long, light yellowish brown and smooth. The pupal period is 11-13 days.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Cosmopterigidae
Cosmopterigidae
Cosmopterigidae is a family of insects in the Lepidoptera order. These are small moths with narrow wings whose tiny larvae feed internally on the leaves, seeds, stems, etc of their host plants. There are about 1,500 described species...
family. It was first described from the southern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, but it is probably an introduction to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. It is found in much of the warm or tropical areas of the world, including northern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the Galapagos Islands
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.The Galápagos Islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, the Antilles
Antilles
The Antilles islands form the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. The Antilles are divided into two major groups: the "Greater Antilles" to the north and west, including the larger islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico; and the smaller "Lesser Antilles" on the...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
(south to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
).
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 9-12 mm. They have brown fore wings with pale streaks, and plain grey hind wings, each edged with a fringe. When at rest, the moth extends its antennae straight out in front of its head.
The larvae feed on vegetable trash. It has been found in many kinds of old leguminous pods, aloe, banana, coffee beans, coffee, cherries, castor oil beans and pods, cotton bolls, eggplant, milo maize grain, old maize silk, dead Panicum torridum, pineapple (dried parts, fruits, stored seeds), Crassula
Crassula
Crassula is a large genus of succulent plants containing many species, including the popular Jade Plant, Crassula ovata. They are native to many parts of the globe, but cultivated varieties are almost exclusively from the Eastern Cape of South Africa....
, Samanea saman
Samanea saman
Albizia samanalso known as samanea saman, is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to the Neotropics. Its range extends from Mexico south to Peru and Brazil, but it has been widely introduced to South and Southeast Asia, as well as the Pacific Islands, including...
, Sapindus oahuensis
Sapindus oahuensis
Sapindus oahuensis, commonly known as Āulu or Lonomea, is a species of soapberry that is endemic to Hawaii. It can be found in dry, coastal mesic, and mixed mesic forests at elevations of on the islands of Kauai and Oahu . Āulu reaches a height of and a trunk diameter of...
, tamarind, and others.
Full-grown larvae are 7-8 mm long, cylindrical and pink to deep wine red with a dark brown thorax, a pale brown head, and a black mouth.
The larva pupates in a whitish cocoon amongst the frass where it has fed. The pupa is 4-5 mm long, light yellowish brown and smooth. The pupal period is 11-13 days.