Lioptilodes albistriolatus
Encyclopedia
Lioptilodes albistriolatus is a moth
of the Pterophoridae family. In South America
and Central America
it has been recorded from Argentina
, Brazil
, Chile
, Costa Rica
, Cuba
, Ecuador
, Guatemala
, Paraguay
, Peru
and Puerto Rico
. It is also present in North America
, where it is known from Mexico
, California
, Texas
, New Mexico
and Arizona
. It is an introduced species in Hawaii
.
The wingspan
is 15-20 mm. The intensity of the colour and markings is variable. Adults are on wing in January, February, March, May, June, August, November
and December.
The larvae feed on various Asteraceae
species, including Erigeron maximus, Erigeron strigosus
, Conyza bonariensis
, Conyza primulifolia, Conyza canadensis
, Diplostephium ericoides
, Baccharis salicifolia
, Baccharis trinervis, Baccharis discolor, Baccharis serratula, Senecio pinnatus, Minasia species, Noticastrum decumbens, Symphyotrichum elliottii, Symphyotrichum subulatus and Solidago odora. They feed inside the flower heads.
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. In 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...
and Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
it has been recorded from 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...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. It is also present 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...
, where it is known 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...
, 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...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. It is an introduced species in 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 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 15-20 mm. The intensity of the colour and markings is variable. Adults are on wing in January, February, March, May, June, August, November
and December.
The larvae feed on various Asteraceae
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
species, including Erigeron maximus, Erigeron strigosus
Erigeron strigosus
Erigeron strigosus is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name plains fleabane.It is native to eastern North America, and it is present in western North America as a somewhat weedy naturalized species. This is an annual or biennial daisy reaching heights of anywhere...
, Conyza bonariensis
Conyza bonariensis
Conyza bonariensis is a species of Conyza, found throughout the tropics and subtropics as a weed; its precise native origin is unknown, but most likely Central America or South America...
, Conyza primulifolia, Conyza canadensis
Conyza canadensis
Conyza canadensis is an annual plant native throughout most of North America and Central America. Common names include Horseweed, Canadian Horseweed, Canadian Fleabane, Coltstail, Marestail and Butterweed.It is an annual plant growing to 1.5 m tall, with sparsely hairy stems...
, Diplostephium ericoides
Diplostephium ericoides
Diplostephium ericoides is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family.It is found only in Ecuador.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montanes and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland....
, Baccharis salicifolia
Baccharis salicifolia
Baccharis salicifolia is a flowering shrub native to the desert southwest of the United States and northern Mexico, as well as parts of South America. Its usual common name is mule fat; it is also called seepwillow or water-wally. This is a large bush with sticky foliage which bears plentiful...
, Baccharis trinervis, Baccharis discolor, Baccharis serratula, Senecio pinnatus, Minasia species, Noticastrum decumbens, Symphyotrichum elliottii, Symphyotrichum subulatus and Solidago odora. They feed inside the flower heads.