Prolita puertella

(Busck, 1916)

Prolita puertella is a gelechiid described by August Busck in 1916. The is highly variable in coloration, ranging from pale yellowish-white to brown. are active from August to October. The specific epithet refers to La Puerta, the type locality in California.

Prolita puertella by (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Prolita puertella: /proʊˈliːtə pwɛrˈtɛlə/

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

Identification

Highly variable forewing coloration complicates identification; specimens range from nearly white with bold dark spots to uniformly brown with faint markings. Best identified by combination of size, geographic range, and genitalia examination. Similar to other Prolita but distinguished by specific pattern variation and locality.

Images

Distribution

Western North America: recorded from Montana, California, and Arizona in the United States, and Baja California in Mexico. Type locality is La Puerta, California.

Seasonality

on wing from August to October.

Similar Taxa

  • Other Prolita speciesSimilar size and general ; require genitalia examination or detailed wing pattern analysis for reliable separation

More Details

Etymology

The name puertella refers to La Puerta, California, the type locality where the species was first described.

Sources and further reading