Anatrachyntis badia

Anatrachyntis badia, the Florida pink scavenger, is a species of moth of the family Cosmopterigidae. It was first described by Ronald W. Hodges in 1962. It is found in the southern United States from Florida to California and as far north as Maryland. It is an introduced species in Europe, where it has been recorded infrequently from Italy, Greece, Spain, Malta and the United Kingdom[1] through accidental importation in pomegranates. It has also been recorded from Hawaii.

Anatrachyntis badia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Cosmopterigidae
Genus: Anatrachyntis
Species:
A. badia
Binomial name
Anatrachyntis badia
(Hodges, 1962)
Synonyms
  • Sathrobrota badia Hodges, 1962
  • Pyroderces badia

The wingspan is 9–10 mm.

The larvae are mainly scavengers, feeding on dry or decaying fruit, dead floral parts, and sooty mold among fruit clusters and under sepals. The larvae have been recorded feeding on cones of several species of Pinus and Cassia pods, dead fruits of peach and loquat, lime, grapefruit, banana, cabbage, coconut blossoms and elm leaves. During summer, larvae may nibble on rind of ripe oranges, often near the stem end or on the sides of fruit in a cluster. The feeding is usually superficial and does not cause appreciable damage.

References
  1. Higgott, J. B. (2009). "Anatrachyntis badia (Hodges) a species not previously recorded in the wild in Great Britain". Atropos. 37: 41–42.


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