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 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Pterolonchidae |
| Genus: | Homaledra |
| Species: | H. sabalella
|
| Binomial name | |
| Homaledra sabalella (Chambers, 1880)
| |
| Synonyms | |
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Taxonomy
editHomaledra 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
editThe wingspan is about 18 mm. Adults mature and are active year-round.
Ecology
editThe larvae feed on Sabal palmetto, Sabal causiarum and Cocos nucifera. They feed on the palm fronds.
References
edit- ^ a b Moth Photographers Group at Mississippi State University
- ^ a b Savela, Markku (5 February 2015). "Homaledra". Lepidoptera and some other life forms. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
- ^ Brown, Richard L. (19 August 2015). "Batrachedridae Overview". Gelechioidea - a Global Framework. Mississippi State University. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- Arctiidae genus list at Butterflies and Moths of the World of the Natural History Museum, London