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Mesepiola specca Davis

Olle Pellmyr

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N.B.: Additional Mesepiola species are known, and will appear here after description in a formal revision.

Containing group: Prodoxidae

Adult Characteristics

Wing expanse 8-12 mm. Sexes similar, with relatively narrow forewings with a mosaic of white, fuscous and rusty scales; hindwings a uniform brown. Abdominal underside nearly white. Females have a unique hooked appendage on the seventh tergite, used to anchor the abdomen against a floral calyx when cutting into the ovary.

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Dorsal appendage on seventh tergite of female; descending portion is abdominal tip including short ovipositor.

Comparison with Similar Species

This small species is the only known prodoxid found on members of the Nolinaceae. It can superficially resemble darker individuals of Prodoxus marginatus, but the latter never has any rusty scales. Females cannot be mistaken, given the unique uncinate appendage.

Host, Oviposition, and Larval Feeding Habits

Hosts include several species of Nolina and Dasylirion (Nolinaceae). Adults are primarily crepuscular, and can be found swarming around host inflorescences where they drink nectar, mate, and oviposit. The female oviposits into floral ovaries, and the larva completes development inside one or more seeds. The fully grown larvae burrow into the soil, where they pupate.

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Female ovipositing into a Nolina ovary.

Geographic Distribution

Mesepiola specca is so far reported from the southern portions of California, Arizona and New Mexico.

Habitat

In desert and chaparral habitats with Nolina or Dasylirion.

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Dasylirion (center) in suitable stage for oviposition; Santa Cruz Co., Arizona.

Type

Holotype 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.

Nielsen, E.S. & D.R. Davis. 1985. The first southern hemisphere prodoxid and the phylogeny of the Incurvarioidea (Lepidoptera). Syst. Entom. 10:307-322.

Frack, D.C. 1982. A systematic study of prodoxine moths (Adelidae: Prodoxinae) and their hosts (Agavaceae), with descriptions of the subfamilies of Adelidae (s. lat.). M.S. thesis, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA.

Title Illustrations

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Scientific Name	Mesepiola specca
Location	Riverside Co., California, USA
Specimen Condition	Dead Specimen
Sex	Male
Image Use	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 Mesepiola specca Davis. 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. Mesepiola specca Davis. Version 01 January 1996 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Mesepiola_specca/12416/1996.01.01 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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