Pigritia murtfeldtella
(Chambers, 1874)
Pigritia murtfeldtella is a small in the Blastobasidae, originally described by Chambers in 1874 under the basionym Dryope murtfeldtella. It is one of approximately 20 described species in the Pigritia, a group of relatively obscure moths whose remains poorly documented. The species has been recorded across a broad geographic range in North America.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Pigritia murtfeldtella: /pɪˈɡrɪʃiə ˌmɜːrtfɛldˈtɛlə/
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Identification
Members of the Pigritia are small with relatively nondescript wing patterns, often requiring dissection or molecular analysis for reliable identification. Pigritia murtfeldtella can be distinguished from by genitalic characters and geographic distribution, though published diagnostic features for this specific species are limited in accessible literature.
Distribution
United States (Maine, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Missouri, Texas, California) and Canada (Alberta, Manitoba).
More Details
Taxonomic history
Originally described in the Dryope, this was later transferred to Pigritia. The genus Pigritia was historically placed in Coleophoridae but is now classified in Blastobasidae based on morphological and molecular evidence.
Data availability
As of the source date, iNaturalist records 253 observations of this , suggesting it is encountered with moderate frequency by naturalists despite limited formal study.