Aroga trialbamaculella

Aroga trialbamaculella, the red-striped fireworm moth, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in the United States, where it has been recorded from Maine to Florida and from Illinois to Texas.[1]

Aroga trialbamaculella
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Gelechiidae
Genus: Aroga
Species:
A. trialbamaculella
Binomial name
Aroga trialbamaculella
(Chambers, 1875)
Synonyms
  • Gelechia trialbamaculella Chambers, 1875

The wingspan is about 12 mm. The forewings are dark brown with a small white spot on the fold before the middle. There also white spots at the costa and dorsally before the cilia.[2] Adults are mostly on wing from March to October, but have been recorded year round.

The larvae feed on Comptonia, Epigaea, Myrtus, Quercus ilicifolia, Quercus laevis, Robinia and Vaccinium ashei.[3] They skeletonize the leaves of their host plant. They fasten two or more leaves together and feed within on the epidermis. With the frass, they form a tube which is open on both sides. The larvae reach a length of about 8 mm. They are pale dirty yellowish or greenish yellow with six darker yellow stripes.[4]

References

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