| Lacosoma arizonicum | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Mimallonidae |
| Genus: | Lacosoma |
| Species: | L. arizonicum |
| Binomial name | |
| Lacosoma arizonicum | |
Lacosoma arizonicum, the southwestern sack-bearer moth,[2] is a species of moth in the family Mimallonidae and one of four species of sack-bearers occurring north of Mexico.[3] Its type locality is the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona.[1] The species was first described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1898[1] from a single male specimen[4] and has Hodges number 7660.[3][2]
Behavior and appearance
Caterpillars
The larval hostplant are species of oak (Quercus),[3][1] with four species of oak observed as host plants in the wild: Quercus arizonica, Quercus emoryi, Quercus gambelii and Quercus hypoleucoides.[5] In addition, captive larvae have also been successfully raised on Quercus virginiana.[5] As with other species of Mimallonidae, the larvae feed concealed. Young larvae feed under a layer of silk netting, mixed with frass, covering part of the leaf on which they're feeding. Later instars form a case by sticking multiple leaves together with silk, which eventually becomes a compact and rigid tube-shaped case with an opening on both sides.[5] Larvae overwinter within this case prior to pupation.[5]
Larvae have an enlarged head and a flattened, armored anal plate, both of which are characteristic for species of Mimallonidae.[5] Final instar larvae have a brown base color with yellow stripe markings, with some variation in exact shade and shape of the markings. They resemble those of Lacosoma chiridota, but with more pronounced markings due to a higher contrast between marking and base color.[5]
Adult
Wings are pale brown, shaded rosy pink on the basal half, and have an obscure dot on both wings as well as a thin, very slightly curved, brown line.[4] Wingspan is approximately 29 mm.[3][4] Adults are most commonly on wing during June to August.[3]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Savela, Markku. "Lacosoma". Lepidoptera and some other life forms. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
- 1 2 "Moth Photographers Group – Lacosoma arizonicum – 7660". Moth Photographers Group at the Mississippi Entomological Museum at the Mississippi State University. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Species Lacosoma arizonicum - Hodges#7660 - BugGuide.Net". bugguide.net. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
- 1 2 3 Dyar, Harrison G. (1898). "New American Moths and Synonymical Notes". Journal of the New York Entomological Society. 6 (1): 44. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 St. Laurent, Ryan A.; Wagner, David L.; Reeves, Lawrence E.; Kawahara, Akito Y. (September 2017). "Notes on the Larva and Natural History of Lacosoma arizonicum Dyar (Mimallonoidea, Mimallonidae) with New Host and Parasitoid Records". Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society. 71 (3): 177–181. doi:10.18473/lepi.71i3.a9. Retrieved 8 September 2022.