Hellinsia sulphureodactylus
Encyclopedia
Hellinsia sulphureodactylus is a moth
of the Pterophoridae family. It is found in North America
(including Colorado
, California
, Iowa
and Alberta
).
The wingspan
is about 25 mm. The head is ochreous. The palpi are whitish yellow, streaked with ochreous and the antennae are long and yellowish tinged with fuscous. The thorax and abdomen are sulphur yellow, streaked with ochreous scales. The legs are whitish ochreous, streaked with brown. The forewings are clear sulphur yellow, slightly tinged with brownish on the outer fourth of the costa. There is a minute brown dot before the base of the fissure. The fringes are pale yellowish white, but cinereous on the hind margin. The hindwings are whitish, thickly dusted with cinereous. The fringes are concolorous.
The larvae have been recorded feeding on Helianthus pumilus. They web up the young heads of their host plant and feed within the spun mass.
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 Pterophoridae 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 Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, 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...
and Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
).
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 25 mm. The head is ochreous. The palpi are whitish yellow, streaked with ochreous and the antennae are long and yellowish tinged with fuscous. The thorax and abdomen are sulphur yellow, streaked with ochreous scales. The legs are whitish ochreous, streaked with brown. The forewings are clear sulphur yellow, slightly tinged with brownish on the outer fourth of the costa. There is a minute brown dot before the base of the fissure. The fringes are pale yellowish white, but cinereous on the hind margin. The hindwings are whitish, thickly dusted with cinereous. The fringes are concolorous.
The larvae have been recorded feeding on Helianthus pumilus. They web up the young heads of their host plant and feed within the spun mass.