Homaledra sabalella
Moth species in family Batrachedridae
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Homaledra sabalella, the palm leaf skeletonizer moth, is a moth in the family Pterolonchidae.[1] It is found in North America, where it has been recorded from Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas.[1] It is also present in Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and Cuba.
| Homaledra sabalella | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Pterolonchidae |
| Genus: | Homaledra |
| Species: | H. sabalella |
| Binomial name | |
| Homaledra sabalella (Chambers, 1880) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Taxonomy
Homaledra sabalella was described as Laverna sabalella by Vactor Tousey Chambers in 1880.[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., which led them to decide it was better to reclassify the genus in the family Pterolonchidae.[5]
Description
The wingspan is about 18 mm. Adults mature and are active year-round.
Ecology
The larvae feed on Sabal palmetto, Sabal causiarum and Cocos nucifera. They feed on the palm fronds.