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Prodoxus y-inversus Riley

Olle Pellmyr
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Containing group: Prodoxus

Adult Characteristics

Wing expanse 11-16 mm. Forewing near white with dark brown bands transecting the wing; bands lighter in the male. The bands form a diagnostic inversed Y in the outer portion of the wing. Hindwing pale brown.

Comparison with Similar Species

The inversed Y is a certain diagnostic trait of the species.

Host, Oviposition, and Larval Feeding Habits

The species is reported from Yucca baccata and Y. schottii (Agavaceae). In both cases, the larva feeds in a gallery inside the fruit, and it eventually creates a hardened pupation gallery. Fruits with many larvae become hardened in their entirety and can remain intact for long periods of time.

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Old Y. baccata with many emergence holes from P. y-inversus; Dona Ana Co., New Mexico.

Geographic Distribution

Reported only from southwestern New Mexico, southeastern Arizona and southern Nevada.

Habitat

In shrubby desert and open forest with a host.

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Shrubby desert with Y. baccata; Dona Ana Co., New Mexico.

Type

Lectotype in USNM.

References

Davis, D.R. 1967. A revision of the moths of the subfamily Prodoxinae (Lepidoptera: Incurvariidae). U.S. Nat. Hist. Mus., Bull. 255:1-170. Smiths. Contrib. Zool. 524:1-88.

Powell, J.A. 1984. Biological interrelationships of moths and Yucca schottii. Univ. Calif. Publ. Entomol. 100:1-93.

Title Illustrations
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Scientific Name Prodoxus y-inversus
Location Dona Ana Co., New Mexico, USA
Specimen Condition Dead Specimen
Sex Female
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0.
Copyright © 1996
About This Page


University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA

Page: Tree of Life Prodoxus y-inversus Riley. Authored by Olle Pellmyr. The TEXT of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0. Note that images and other media featured on this page are each governed by their own license, and they may or may not be available for reuse. Click on an image or a media link to access the media data window, which provides the relevant licensing information. For the general terms and conditions of ToL material reuse and redistribution, please see the Tree of Life Copyright Policies.

Citing this page:

Pellmyr, Olle. 1996. Prodoxus y-inversus Riley. Version 01 January 1996 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Prodoxus_y-inversus/12427/1996.01.01 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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