Dichomeris aenigmatica
Encyclopedia
Dichomeris aenigmatica is a moth
of the Gelechiidae
family. It is native to Mexico
, but has been purposely introduced to Hawaii
in 1957 to control sour bush.
The wingspan
is about 11 mm. The forewings have a mostly pale fuscous or greyish background. There are two small, variable, cream-colored maculae at the middle of the wing, and there may be a very small cream-colored macula on the fold.
The larvae feed on Pluchea odorata
.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Gelechiidae
Gelechiidae
Gelechiidae is a family of moths commonly referred to as twirler moths or gelechiid moths. They are the namesake family of the huge and little-studied superfamily Gelechioidea, and the Gelechiidae's relationships with and delimitation against their relatives have been subject to considerable...
family. It is native to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, but has been purposely introduced to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
in 1957 to control sour bush.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is about 11 mm. The forewings have a mostly pale fuscous or greyish background. There are two small, variable, cream-colored maculae at the middle of the wing, and there may be a very small cream-colored macula on the fold.
The larvae feed on Pluchea odorata
Pluchea odorata
Pluchea odorata is a species of flowering plant in the aster family, Asteraceae, that is native to the United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Common names include Sweetscent, Salt Marsh Fleabane, and Shrubby Camphorweed. It inhabits wetlands and other...
.