Homaledra heptathalama

Homaledra heptathalama, the exclamation moth or palm leaf housemaker, is a moth in the family Pterolonchidae. It was described by August Busck in 1900. It is found in the United States, where it has been recorded from Alabama, Florida and South Carolina.[1]

Homaledra heptathalama
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Pterolonchidae
Genus:
Homaledra
Species:
H. heptathalama
Binomial name
Homaledra heptathalama
Busck, 1900

Taxonomy

It was first described in 1900 by August Busck using specimens from Palm Beach, Florida.[2] It was included in the family Coleophoridae by Ron Hodges in 1983. Hodges then moved it to the subfamily Batrachedrinae of the Batrachedridae in 1999.[2][3][4] In 2014, a cladistic analysis performed by Heikkilä et al., made them decide it was necessary to reclassify the genus in the family Pterolonchidae.[5]

Description

The wingspan is about 20 mm. The forewings are slender, tapering to a rounded point at the apex. They are pale yellowish brown except for a darker brownish-orange strip along the costa and two white markings in the median area. Adults have been recorded on wing nearly year round.

Ecology

The larvae feed on the underside of the leaves of Sabal palmetto palm, tucked in the folds of the leaves, where it makes a chambered shelter of silk and its frass. The larva starts by making a small elongate chamber and adds, as it grows, successively larger, more or less rectangular, thick-walled, communicating rooms. When finished, the structure contains seven to eight chambers.[6]

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References
  1. Moth Photographers Group at Mississippi State University
  2. Savela, Markku (5 February 2015). "Homaledra". Lepidoptera and some other life forms. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  3. Brown, Richard L. (19 August 2015). "Batrachedridae Overview". Gelechioidea - a Global Framework. Mississippi State University. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  4. Hodges, Ronald W. (1999). "The Gelechioidea". In Kristensen, N.P. (ed.). Handbuch der Zoologie/Handbook of Zoology Vol. 4, part 35. Lepidoptera, Moths and Butterflies Vol. 1. Evolution, Systematics and Biogeography. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 131–158. ISBN 9783110157048.
  5. Heikkilä, Maria; Mutanen, Marko; Kekkonen, Mari; Kaila, Lauri (November 2014). "Morphology reinforces proposed molecular phylogenetic affinities: a revised classification for Gelechioidea (Lepidoptera)". Cladistics. 30 (6): 563–589. doi:10.1111/cla.12064. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  6. Robin McLeod, Chuck Entz, Randy Hardy (18 June 2014). "Homaledra heptathalama - Exclamation Moth - Hodges#1421". Bug Guide. Iowa State University. Retrieved 22 December 2019.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)


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