Under Construction

Prodoxus cinereus Riley

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: Prodoxus

Adult Characteristics

Wing expanse 9-15 mm. Forewing uniformly pale to medium brown. Hindwings usually somewhat lighter, sparsely scaled.

Comparison with Similar Species

Prodoxus aenescens, which coexists with it, is very similar especially in the zone of overlap (where aenescens is lighter than farther north). They can be reliably told apart through inspection of the genitalia. In the male, the valva of cinereus is of about even width throughout and it has a relatively straight outer edge. In the female, the ovipositor has a modest, non-arched dorsal ridge that tapers off at the ovipositor shaft. The larva is distinctive because of two prominent ventral hooks on the tip of the abdomen. When the two species are found together, cinereus tends to emerge somewhat earlier than aenescens.

Host, Oviposition, and Larval Feeding Habits

The species occurs throughout the southern range of its exclusive host, Yucca whipplei (Agavaceae), basically coinciding with the monocarpic varieties of the host. It feeds primarily in the basal portion of the inflorescence stalk, and usually well below cinereus where they coexist.

Geographic Distribution

Known from a northern limit in the transverse ranges near Los Angeles south to the US-Mexico border.

Habitat

In coastal chaparral and montane dry shrubby grassland with Yucca whipplei (Agavaceae).

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. and R.A. Mackie. 1966. Biological interrelationships of moths and Yucca whipplei. Univ. Calif. Publ. Entomol. 42:1-59.

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 Prodoxus cinereus
Location Riverside Co., California, 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
About This Page


University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA

Page: Tree of Life Prodoxus cinereus 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 cinereus Riley. Version 01 January 1996 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Prodoxus_cinereus/12436/1996.01.01 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

Prodoxus cinereus

Page Content

articles & notes

collections

people

Explore Other Groups

random page

  go to the Tree of Life home page
top