Syngamia florella (Stoll), the orange-spotted flower moth
From Entomology Circulars.
Syngamia florella (Stoll) is a common moth native to Florida and the Southeastern United States. Specimens are frequently submitted as regulatory samples, probably because of the attractive wing pattern. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry (FDACS-DPI) received 134 samples of adult moths between the years 2007–2018, only two of which were reared; most are caught in various fruit-fly traps. …read more
Prepona laertes
From Entomology Circulars.
Prepona laertes (Hübner) is a butterfly native to South and Central America. In August 2013, USDA and FDACSDPI found an established population of the species in Broward County, Florida (Hayden 2013). The caterpillars feed on leaves of cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco L.). …read more
The Stained-glass Moth, Samea ecclesialis Guenée
From Entomology Circulars.
Samea ecclesialis Guenée (Lepidoptera: Crambidae: Spilomelinae) is a common moth that is widely distributed in Florida, the southern United States, and the New World tropics. It is often seen flying on lawns and weedy areas, and it is one of the most frequently attracted moths to Multi-Lure® (McPhail-type) traps deployed in Florida for tephritid fruit fly detection (Fig. …read more
Olive Shootworm (Palpita persimilis) in Florida
From Entomology Circulars.
Palpita persimilis Munroe (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is a defoliator of olives and privet in South America (Gomez 1999; Chiaradia and Da Croce 2008). Examination of specimens submitted to UF-IFAS and FDACS-DPI prompted the discovery that the species has been established in Florida for many years, having been confused with two similar native species. …read more
The Pine Webworm, Pococera robustella (Zeller)
From Entomology Circulars.
The pine webworm, Pococera robustella (Zeller) (known for many years as Tetralopha robustella), is a common defoliator of pines in the eastern United States. Infestations commonly occur on young (1-2 year old) pine seedlings, but larger seedlings and branches of mature pines can also become infested. …read more
Lepidoptera Of Florida
From Arthropods of Florida and Neighboring Land Areas.
ABSTRACT The Lepidoptera of Florida are cataloged, totalling 2,941 species, later to be diagnosed and illustrated in the planned 10 part series. This first part includes a general introduction to the Lepidoptera, including the general morphology of Lepidoptera families and keys for their identification, and sections on Florida ecosystems and environment as this relates to the Florida Lepidoptera fauna and its biology. …read more
Spanish Moth, Xanthopastis timais
From Entomology Circulars.
The Spanish moth, Xanthopastis timais (Cramer), is unmistakeable for any other moth in Florida (Fig. 1). The larvae are likewise very colorful, and have been called convict caterpillars (Fig. 2). The origin of the name, Spanish moth, is obscure, although it is possible that the name was coined by Slosson (1894), but later authors did not use the common name until fairly recently. …read more
Hickory Horned Devil, or Royal Walnut Moth
From Entomology Circulars.
The royal walnut moth, Citheronia regalis (Fabricius), is one of the more colorful of the emperor moths in Florida (Fig. 1), and one of two species in the genus to occur in Florida (Kimball 1965; Heppner 2003). …read more
The Southern Pine Coneworm, Dioryctria amatella (Hulst)
From Entomology Circulars.
The southern pine coneworm, Dioryctria amatella (Hulst), also commonly referred to as a pitch moth, is consistently one of the most damaging insect pests of pine seed orchard crops throughout the southeastern United States (Ebel et al. …read more
Spodoptera Armyworms in Florida
From Entomology Circulars.
The armyworms of the genus Spodoptera include 10 species in North America. All are found in Florida except for Spodoptera praefica (Grote) which only occurs in the far western states (Heppner 1995). Older literature often has the Spodoptera listed under the synonyms Laphygma and Prodenia. …read more
The Forest Tent Caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria Hubner
From Entomology Circulars.
The forest tent caterpillar (FTC), Malacosoma disstria Hubner, is the most widely distributed indigenous tent caterpillar in North America (Furniss and Carolin 1977). FTC has been recognized as an important defoliator of a wide variety of deciduous hardwood trees throughout its range for many years (Batzer and Morris 1978). …read more
Urticating Caterpillars in Florida: 3. Puss Caterpillar and Flannel Moths
From Entomology Circulars.
The flannel moths (family Megalopygidae) include some of the most commonly encountered poisonous caterpillars in Florida. They have urticating or “stinging” spines and setae, a well-known chemical defense found in several families of Lepidoptera. …read more
Urticating Caterpillars in Florida: Slug Caterpillars
From Entomology Circulars.
Urticating or “stinging” spines and setae of some caterpillars are a well-known chemical defense found in several families of Lepidoptera. A previous circular (Heppner 1994) described the Io Moth (Saturniidae) and presented general notes about stinging spines and dermal reactions (Rothschild et al. …read more
Citrus Leafminer, Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton
From Entomology Circulars.
The small leafmining moth, Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton, family Gracillariidae (subfamily Phyllocnistinae), or the citrus leafminer (CLM), was found in late May 1993 in several citrus nurseries in Homestead, Florida, other parts of Dade Co., …read more
Bromeliad Pod Borer, Epimorius testaceellus
From Entomology Circulars.
The bromeliad pod borer, Epimorius testaceellus Ragonot, first described from Jamaica (Ragonot, 1887), was reared from the bromeliad, Tillandsia fasciculata Sw. (Bromeliaceae), in Florida by the author in 1974, and subsequently identified and reported on by Ferguson (1991). …read more
Synclita obliteralis (Walker), the waterlily leafcutter
From Entomology Circulars.
Members of the pyralid subfamily Nymphulinae have aquatic larvae. Of the more than twenty nymphuline species occurring in Florida, Synclita obliteralis (Walker) is the most common. While its common name implies that it is a pest of waterlilies, it has a wide host range. …read more
Caterpillars That Are Not The Gypsy Moth Caterpillar. Some Forest Lepidoptera In Florida
From Entomology Circulars.
The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.), is not known to be established in Florida even though one or more life stages have been observed in 49 counties (1971-1991). Most gypsy moth detections are male moths caught in pheromone traps. …read more
Cactoblastis cactorum Berg (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), a Phycitine New to Florida
From Entomology Circulars.
The discovery of Cactoblastis cactorum Berg in the Florida Keys in October, 1989 raises to at least five the number of phycitine moth species associated with prickly pear cacti (Opuntia spp.) in Florida. …read more
Nantucket Pine Tip Moth, Rhyacionia frustrana (Comstock)
From Entomology Circulars.
The Nantucket pine tip moth, Rhyacionia frustrana (Comstock), is a serious pest of young pine in plantations, wild pine seedlings in open areas, Christmas tree plantings, ornamental pines, and pine seed orchards in the United States. …read more
The Banana Moth, Opogona sacchari (Bojer)
From Entomology Circulars.
The banana moth, Opogona sacchari (Bojer), also known as Opogona subcervinella (Walker), is known from a number of tropical areas around the world and periodically has been intercepted in Florida. In the last few years the species has become established in various nursery stocks in southern Florida, particularly in Dade and Palm Beach counties. …read more
The Gypsy Moth, Lymantria Dispar (L.)
From Entomology Circulars.
The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.), was brought from Europe to the United States in the spring of 1869 by Leopold Trovelot, a naturalist, for the purpose of producing a commercial source of silk (Forbush and Fernald 1896). …read more
Anacamptodes pergracilis (Hulst), a cypress looper
From Entomology Circulars.
Anacamptodes pergracilis (Hulst), commonly known as the cypress looper, drew considerable attention in late summer of 1980 with the unexpected defoliation of nearly 28,000 ha of cypress trees in USFS-NPS Big Cypress National Preserve (Collier and Monroe counties). …read more
Atheloca subrufella (Hulst), a pest of coconuts
From Entomology Circulars.
Atheloca subrufella (Hulst), an occasional pest of coconut, Cocos nucifera L., is a small moth which occurs throughout Florida. It also occurs in Cuba and the Virgin Islands (Kimball, 1965; Heinrich, 1956). At the time Heinrich (1956) established the genus Atheloca for this species, nothing was known about its biology. …read more
Lesser cornstalk borer, Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Zeller)
From Entomology Circulars.
The lesser cornstalk borer, Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Zeller), attacks a variety of agricultural crop species (Metcalf et al., 1962). Less well known is the fact that seedlings of forest nurseries are susceptible to infestation and may incur severe damage or mortality. …read more
Edwards wasp moth, Lymire edwardsii (Grote)
From Entomology Circulars.
The caterpillars of Edwards wasp moth frequently cause extensive inJury to Ficus trees. Bratley (1929) called it the rubber tree caterpillar because of its injury to rubber trees (Ficus spp.). The immature stages were described by Edwards (1887) and Dyar (1890). …read more
Mimosa Webworm, Homadaula Anisocentra Meyrick
From Entomology Circulars.
The mimosa webworm is native to China and Japan. Specimens from China were first described in 1922 by Meyrick as Homadaula anisocentra. In 1940 larvae were found feeding on mimosa trees in Washington, D. …read more
Tomato Pinworm, Keiferia Lycopersicella (Walshingham) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) In Florida
From Entomology Circulars.
The tomato pinworm is a small, microlepidopteran moth that is often confused with closely related species which have similar habits. Apparently much of the damage to tomatoes attributed to the eggplant leafminer (Gnorimoschema glochinella Zeller) in Mexico and California during the early 1920’s was actually inflicted by the tomato pinworm (Morrill, 1925). …read more
European Corn Borer, Ostrinia Nubilalis (Hübner), Detection Methods
From Entomology Circulars.
There have been several interceptions of the European corn borer in Florida but to date no infestations have been detected. However, in the last 15 years the borer has moved southward in Alabama and Georgia and now occurs in several counties adjacent to Florida. …read more
Sugarcane Borer (Diatraea Saccharalis (Fab.)) On Pampas Grass In Florida
From Entomology Circulars.
Canes of pampas grass, Cortaderia selloana (Schult.) Aschers & Graebn., were found infested with sugarcane borer by J. N. Pott, plant specialist, during a Volusia County nursery inspection in October 1968. Larvae of several instars and also pupae were removed from infested canes. …read more
Grape Leaf Skeletonizer, Harrisina Americana (Guérin-Méneville), A Minor Pest Of Grape In Florida
From Entomology Circulars.
This species is common throughout Florida, with the possible exception of the Keys, and it ranges widely in the eastern half of the United States. it is noticed primarily because of its defoliation of grape vines in home gardens. …read more
The Palm Leaf Skeletonizer, Homaledra Sabalella (Chambers)
From Entomology Circulars.
The palm leaf skeletonizer is the larva of a small moth. Both upper and lower surfaces of the leaf are subject to attack by the larvae. The larva is the only destructive stage of this insect (fig. …read more
The Grape Leaf Folder, Desmia Funeralis (Hübner), A Minor Pest Of Grape In Florida
From Entomology Circulars.
The grape leaf folder is a common and widely distributed species that is a minor pest of grapes in the United States. In California severe outbreaks have occurred in restricted areas during some years. …read more
Lepidoptera of Florida
From Arthropods of Florida and Neighboring Land Areas.
This is not a text book, nor is it an analysis. Rather it is a compilation of the distribution, depositories, and oilier pertinent information relating to the Lepidoptera of Florida as gathered together from many sources. …read more
