Under Construction

Greya piperella (Busck)

Olle Pellmyr
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Containing group: Greya

Adult Characteristics

Wing expanse 16.5-21.5 mm. Forewings white or cream colored in females, rarely with stramineous tinge in females from Alberta, and with gray tinge in males; numerous fine spots scattered over wing, with diameter less than half those of punctiferella, and not coalescing. Rare specimens have many spots lost, and only those in the apical portion are present. Hindwings darker gray.

Comparison with Similar Species

G. piperella and females of G. mitellae can possibly create problems of identification. Greya punctiferella is a smaller moth with yellow base color and more smeared spots. The female of G. mitellae is much smaller, yellow base color, more rounded forewing shape, and dark brown hindwings.

Host, Oviposition, and Larval

Feeding Habits

The species feeds on Heuchera cylindrica in the north, and on H. micrantha in California (Saxifragaceae). Eggs are laid in the peduncle of the host, and larvae mine in it. Nothing in known about later instars.

Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

Female ovipositing into H. cylindrica peduncle.

Geographic Distribution

Dry interior portions of southern British Columbia to central Oregon, reaching westward to western Montana. An isolated population is known from central California. Specimens from New Mexico and Utah have tentatively been identifed as this species.

Habitat

In open, grassy pine forest or on rockfaces in open country where the host is found growing in crevices and ledges. Elevational range 200-2300 m. It often coexists with G. enchrysa and G. politella.

Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

Characteristic habitat in Nez Perce Co., Idaho; Heuchera grows along lower edge of talus.

Ecological Notes

Greya piperella drinks nectar from the flowers of its host, but there is no evidence for pollination function in the species (Pellmyr et al. 1996).

Further ecological aspects of G. piperella and the species that it interacts with are currently under study by and at Washington State University.

Phylogenetic Notes

In a phylogenetic analysis of a portion of mitochondrial DNA, G. mitellae was nested within Greya piperella (Brown et al. 1994). It is evident that speciation of G. mitellae has occurred so recently that the mitochondrial lineages have not yet been assorted. Greya mitellae reflects a concurrent habitat and host shift, and it has undergone striking morphological evolution particularly in the male.

Type

Lectotype in USNM.

References

Brown, J.M., O. Pellmyr, J.N. Thompson & R.G. Harrison. 1994. Phylogeny of Greya (Lepidoptera: Prodoxidae), based on nucleotide sequence variation in mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I and II: congruence with morphological data. Mol. Biol. Evol. 11:128-141.

Davis, D.R., O. Pellmyr & J.N. Thompson. 1992. Biology and systematics of Greya Busck and Tetragma n. gen. (Lepidoptera: Prodoxidae). Smiths. Contrib. Zool. 524:1-88.

Title Illustrations
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Scientific Name Greya piperella
Location Crook Co., Oregon, USA
Specimen Condition Dead Specimen
Sex Male
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0.
Copyright © 1996
Scientific Name Greya piperella
Location Nez Perce Co., Idaho, 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 Greya piperella (Busck). 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. Greya piperella (Busck). Version 01 January 1996 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Greya_piperella/12318/1996.01.01 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

edit this page
close box

This page is a Tree of Life Leaf Page.

Each ToL leaf page provides a synopsis of the characteristics of a group of organisms representing a leaf at the tip of the Tree of Life. The major distinction between a leaf and a branch of the Tree of Life is that a leaf cannot generally be further subdivided into subgroups representing distinct genetic lineages.

For a more detailed explanation of the different ToL page types, have a look at the Structure of the Tree of Life page.

close box

Greya piperella

Page Content

articles & notes

collections

people

Explore Other Groups

random page

  go to the Tree of Life home page
top