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Prodoxus sordidus Riley

Olle Pellmyr
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Containing group: Prodoxus

Adult Characteristics

Wing expanse 8-14 mm. Forewing uniformly cream to dark tan, without pattern. Hindwings usually a somewhat darker shade, gray.

Comparison with Similar Species

No described species is similar, but two species are compiled under this name (Frack 1982). Diagnostic traits to distinguish between them have not been published.

Host, Oviposition, and Larval Feeding Habits

Only from Yucca brevifolia, the Joshua Tree. Larva is said to bore in fleshy parts of the fruit (Davis 1967).

Geographic Distribution

Throughout the range of Yucca brevifolia: Mojave desert in SE California, NW Arizona, and S Nevada.

Habitat

In shrub desert with Yucca brevifolia; a striking habitat photograph is provided by U2 (1987).

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Characteristic habitat; San Bernardino Co., California.

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.

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.

U2. 1987. The Joshua Tree. Island Records Inc., New York.

Title Illustrations
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Scientific Name Prodoxus sordidus
Location San Bernardino Co., California, 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 Prodoxus sordidus 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 sordidus Riley. Version 01 January 1996 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Prodoxus_sordidus/12432/1996.01.01 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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