Euzophera ostricolorella
Encyclopedia
The Root Collar Borer Moth or Tuliptree Borer (Euzophera ostricolorella) is a species of moth
of the Pyralidae
family. It is found from Arkansas
and Louisiana
to northern Florida
, north to Michigan
and New York
.
The wingspan
is 30-41 mm. The forewings are dull purplish red except for a dark purplish grey median area. The hindwings are whitish to pale grey with a brown terminal line and white fringe. Adults are on wing from April to June and again from August to October in two generations in the southern part of the range.
The larvae feed on Liriodendron tulipifera
. They bore into the bark and feed on the phloem at base of their host plant. They are dull white with a dark brown head. They reach a length of about 33 mm.
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 Pyralidae
Pyralidae
The Pyralidae or snout moths are a family of Lepidoptera in the ditrysian superfamily Pyraloidea. In many classifications, the grass moths are included in the Pyralidae as a subfamily, making the combined group one of the largest families in the Lepidoptera...
family. It is found from Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
and Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
to northern Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, north to Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
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 30-41 mm. The forewings are dull purplish red except for a dark purplish grey median area. The hindwings are whitish to pale grey with a brown terminal line and white fringe. Adults are on wing from April to June and again from August to October in two generations in the southern part of the range.
The larvae feed on Liriodendron tulipifera
Liriodendron tulipifera
Liriodendron tulipifera, commonly known as the tulip tree, American tulip tree, tuliptree, tulip poplar or yellow poplar, is the Western Hemisphere representative of the two-species genus Liriodendron, and the tallest eastern hardwood...
. They bore into the bark and feed on the phloem at base of their host plant. They are dull white with a dark brown head. They reach a length of about 33 mm.