| Aroga trialbamaculella | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Gelechiidae |
| Genus: | Aroga |
| Species: | A. trialbamaculella |
| Binomial name | |
| Aroga trialbamaculella (Chambers, 1875) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Aroga trialbamaculella, the red-striped fireworm moth, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in the United States, where it has been recorded from Maine to Florida and from Illinois to Texas. [1]
The wingspan is about 12 mm. The forewings are dark brown with a small white spot on the fold before the middle. There also white spots at the costa and dorsally before the cilia. [2] Adults are mostly on wing from March to October, but have been recorded year round.
The larvae feed on Comptonia , Epigaea , Myrtus , Quercus ilicifolia , Quercus laevis , Robinia and Vaccinium ashei . [3] They skeletonize the leaves of their host plant. They fasten two or more leaves together and feed within on the epidermis. With the frass, they form a tube which is open on both sides. The larvae reach a length of about 8 mm. They are pale dirty yellowish or greenish yellow with six darker yellow stripes. [4]