Trichoptilus pygmaeus
Encyclopedia
Trichoptilus pygmaeus is a moth
of the Pterophoridae family. It is found in North America
, including California
, Florida
and British Columbia
.
The wingspan
is about 10 mm. The head and thorax are pale fawn in color. The abdomen is whitish, with a tinge of fawn color on the sides and above posteriorly. The forewings are very pale fawn color, dusted with fuscous brown scales along the costa, especially above the base of the fissure and near the base of the hind margin. Two indistinct white stripes cross the lobes of the forewings, one beyond and the other before the middle, cutting the fawn-colored fringes on each side. The hindwings are pale greyish-brown, with cinereous fringes interrupted with white behind and at the apex.
The larvae feed on Chrysopsis scabrella and Arctostaphylos columbiana
. They feed on the young leaves and bracts of unopened flowers of Chrysopsis species.
is sometimes listed as a synonym of Trichoptilus pygmaeus.
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 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...
, 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...
and British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
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 10 mm. The head and thorax are pale fawn in color. The abdomen is whitish, with a tinge of fawn color on the sides and above posteriorly. The forewings are very pale fawn color, dusted with fuscous brown scales along the costa, especially above the base of the fissure and near the base of the hind margin. Two indistinct white stripes cross the lobes of the forewings, one beyond and the other before the middle, cutting the fawn-colored fringes on each side. The hindwings are pale greyish-brown, with cinereous fringes interrupted with white behind and at the apex.
The larvae feed on Chrysopsis scabrella and Arctostaphylos columbiana
Arctostaphylos columbiana
Arctostaphylos columbiana is a species of manzanita known by the common name hairy manzanita. It is native to the coast of western North America from northern California to British Columbia. This large manzanita is a treelike shrub occasionally reaching heights of up to ten meters...
. They feed on the young leaves and bracts of unopened flowers of Chrysopsis species.
Taxonomy
Trichoptilus potentellusTrichoptilus potentellus
Trichoptilus potentellus is a moth of the Pterophoridae family. It is found in North America, including California.-Taxonomy:Trichoptilus potentellus is sometimes listed as a synonym of Trichoptilus pygmaeus....
is sometimes listed as a synonym of Trichoptilus pygmaeus.