Greya politella

Walsingham, 1880

Greya politella is a small in the distributed across western North America from southern British Columbia to southern California and inland to Idaho and Colorado. It participates in a nursery with Lithophragma flowers (Saxifragaceae), in which females pollinate flowers while ovipositing into them; subsequently develop as seed within the fruits. The exhibits deep phylogeographical structure with genetically distinct across multiple regions, shaped by glacial refugia and post-glacial expansion.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Greya politella: /ˈɡreɪ.ə ˌpɒl.ɪˈtɛl.ə/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Greya are small, slender with narrow . G. politella is distinguished from primarily by geographic range and association; it is the most widespread Greya species in western North America. Accurate identification to species level typically requires dissection and examination of or molecular analysis.

Habitat

Occurs in open oak woodlands in the southern portion of its range, open grassland and edges of dry ponderosa pine forests in the north, and sagebrush steppe in Washington. Found from sea level to montane elevations, always in association with Lithophragma plants.

Distribution

Western North America: from southern British Columbia south to the Channel Islands of California and the southern Sierra Nevada, and from the Pacific coast east to eastern Idaho and south-western Colorado.

Diet

feed on developing seeds of Lithophragma (Saxifragaceae). do not feed.

Host Associations

Lithophragma - nursery Females oviposit into flowers and pollinate them; develop within seeds. Multiple and used across range.
Heuchera grossulariifolia - larval Larval feeding recorded; likely secondary or occasional .
Heuchera micrantha - larval Larval feeding recorded; likely secondary or occasional .
Heuchera saxicola - larval Larval feeding recorded; likely secondary or occasional .

Life Cycle

emerge and visit flowers for and . are laid in developing flowers. feed on developing seeds within fruits. occurs in soil or leaf litter.

Behavior

Females actively pollinate Lithophragma flowers during visits, transferring pollen on their bodies. Olfactory of flowers is generalized: females detect 23 floral volatile compounds from Lithophragma, including compounds from both local and host they do not encounter. This generalized detection may facilitate tracking of hosts with chemically diverse, rapidly evolving floral volatiles.

Ecological Role

of Lithophragma ; seed that consumes a portion of seeds. The interaction constitutes a conditional where benefit to the host depends on the balance between services received and seeds lost to larval feeding.

Similar Taxa

Greya subalbaOverlaps in range in the Pacific Northwest; distinguished by association (primarily Heuchera) and subtle morphological differences.
Greya piperellaOccurs in similar in western North America; distinguished by narrower geographic range and association with different plants.

More Details

Phylogeographical structure

Deep genetic divergence exists among across four main regions: northern Pacific Northwest, southern Oregon, southern Sierra Nevada, and remainder of California. Northern populations show high diversity from glacial refugia; southern Sierra Nevada populations are genetically distinct and highly diverse, possibly from a localized glacial refugium.

Host-plant shifts

Historical - shifts have occurred repeatedly across the range, with evidence of host-associated genetic differentiation. Direction and number of shifts remain unresolved.