Thyridopyralis gallaerandialis - Hodges#5628
Thyridopyralis gallaerandialis
This record describes Thyridopyralis gallaerandialis (species). Recorded family: Pyralidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
See original description in the print references below. Type locality: USA, Florida, Key West
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Pyraloidea
- Family
- Pyralidae (Pyralid Moths)
- Subfamily
- Galleriinae
- Tribe
- Megarthridiini
- Genus
- Thyridopyralis
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Diet and Behavior
Diet: The larvae are gall makers in the old stems of Randia aculeata . They must feed mainly upon the sap, as they consume hardly more of the interior of the gall than will suffice to give space for their bodies.
Life History
The gall is a thick swelling in the hard wood about twice the thickness of the normal stem; fusiform with normal bark and no visible opening. There is, however, a tiny apical opening from which the larva ejects the frass and at once closes with silk. The interior of the gall is a tube of the diameter of the larva, about 25 mm. long, moist, without frass, only a little pulverized pithy wood in the bottom. The galls occur in pairs, adjoining. At maturing the larva eats a hole large enough for the exit of the moth and closes it with web. Pupation within, the pupa practically filling the cavity. Old galls remain on the tree and do not kill the branch.
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: thyrido (window) + pyralis ( genus of pyralid moth [?])
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Thyridopyralis gallaerandialis. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
Lepidoptera includes approximately 180,000 described species of butterflies and moths. Moths outnumber butterflies roughly 10:1. The monarch butterfly's eastern population has declined by more than 80% since the mid-1990s, and the western population by over 95% since the 1980s. The IUCN lists the migratory monarch as Vulnerable.
Ecological role of the group
Butterflies and moths are essential indicators of ecosystem health. As caterpillars, they are a primary food source for birds - a single nest of blue tit chicks requires ~10,000 caterpillars. Adult moths pollinate many night-blooming plants.
Economic and practical significance of the group
Lepidoptera are critical pollinators. In Europe, grassland butterfly species have declined by almost 50% since the early 1990s. In the UK, three-quarters of butterflies are in decline. In the U.S., five butterfly species have gone extinct since 1950, with 29 listed as endangered.
Recorded sources for this group: IUCN Red List, Xerces Society, USFWS, PNAS, WWF. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Photos of Thyridopyralis gallaerandialis - Hodges#5628 (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by Kyhl Austin
Frequently Asked Questions About Thyridopyralis gallaerandialis - Hodges#5628
What is Thyridopyralis gallaerandialis - Hodges#5628?
Thyridopyralis gallaerandialis - Hodges#5628 (Thyridopyralis gallaerandialis) is a species in the family Pyralidae, within the order Lepidoptera.
How do you identify Thyridopyralis gallaerandialis - Hodges#5628?
See original description in the print references below.
What does Thyridopyralis gallaerandialis - Hodges#5628 eat?
The diet of the Thyridopyralis gallaerandialis - Hodges#5628 includes The larvae are gall makers in the old stems of Randia aculeata . They must feed mainly upon the sap, as they consume hardly more of the interior of the gall than will suffice to give space for their bodies..
What is the life cycle of a Thyridopyralis gallaerandialis - Hodges#5628?
The gall is a thick swelling in the hard wood about twice the thickness of the normal stem; fusiform with normal bark and no visible opening. There is, however, a tiny apical opening from which the larva ejects the frass and at once closes with silk. The interior of the gall is a tube of the diameter of the larva, about 25 mm. long, moist, without frass, only a little pulverized pithy wood in the bottom. The galls occur in pairs, adjoining. At maturing the larva eats a hole large enough for the exit of the moth and closes it with web. Pupation within, the pupa practically filling the cavity. Old galls remain on the tree and do not kill the branch.