Butterflies and Moths of Southern Vancouver Island--Jeremy B. Tatum

                                                                                                                                                                  

ALUCITIDAE


Alucita hexadactyla

Alucita hexadactyla occurs in Europe, where the foodplant of its caterpillar has been reported as Honeysuckle Lonicera sp. Whether the species has been introduced from Europe or there are one or more native North American species is still under study, but for the present I list the illustrated moth as A. hexadactyla. I have reared it from the flowers of Snowberry Symphoricarpos alba, a plant that is in the same family (Caprifoliaceae) as Honeysuckle. It is pink, it hides inside the flowers, and it pupates in a delicate fish-net cocoon. Their unusual wing-structure makes them instantly identifiable, at least as to family.


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