Brenthia pavonacella
Encyclopedia
The Peacock Brenthia Moth (Brenthia pavonacella) is a moth
of the Choreutidae
family. It is found in North America
, including Illinois
, Maryland
, Iowa
, Oklahoma
and South Carolina
. It has also been recorded from Mexico
.
The wingspan
is about 9 mm. There are at least two generations per year in Illinois.
The larvae feed on the underside of the leaflets of Desmodium
species. They skeletonise the leaves of their host plant. In its early instars, the larva causes damage that somewhat resembles feeding damage of some Cicadellidae species. Later instars eat large patches of the leaf area, so that only the leaf veins remain intact. They cut a small escape hole completely through the host leaf, which it uses to quickly move to the opposite side of the leaf when disturbed. Larvae can be found from early July to early September.
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 Choreutidae
Choreutidae
Choreutidae, or "metalmark moths," are a family of insects in the lepidopteran order whose relationships have been long disputed. It was placed previously in the superfamily Yponomeutoidea in family Glyphipterigidae and in superfamily Sesioidea. It is now considered to represent its own superfamily...
family. It is found in 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...
, including Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
and South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. It has also been recorded from Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
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 about 9 mm. There are at least two generations per year in Illinois.
The larvae feed on the underside of the leaflets of Desmodium
Desmodium
Desmodium is a genus in the flowering plant family Fabaceae, sometimes called tick-trefoil, tick clover or beggar lice. There are dozens of species and the delimitation of the genus has shifted much over time....
species. They skeletonise the leaves of their host plant. In its early instars, the larva causes damage that somewhat resembles feeding damage of some Cicadellidae species. Later instars eat large patches of the leaf area, so that only the leaf veins remain intact. They cut a small escape hole completely through the host leaf, which it uses to quickly move to the opposite side of the leaf when disturbed. Larvae can be found from early July to early September.