Onagraceae
Guides
Altica pedipallida
Altica pedipallida is a flea beetle in the tribe Alticini described by LeSage in 2008. The species is known from eastern Canada (Ontario and Québec) and has been documented with a larval host association with Oenothera pilosella (Onagraceae), representing the first recorded host plant for this species. Like other members of the genus Altica, adults likely feed on foliage of host plants.
Dietzella
Dietzella is a genus of minute seed weevils in the family Curculionidae, subfamily Ceutorhynchinae. The genus contains two described species: Dietzella zimmermanni and Dietzella sextuberculata. It was established by Champion in 1907 after the original name Coelogaster was found to be preoccupied by an extinct fish genus.
Dietzella zimmermanni
minute seed weevil
Dietzella zimmermanni is a small weevil species in the family Curculionidae. Larvae are known to feed on leaves of specific host plants in the evening primrose family, including Oenothera pilosella, with this association representing the first documented larval host record for the species. The species occurs across North America with records from Canada and the United States.
Mompha undescribed-species-on-epilobium-canum
An undescribed species in the genus Mompha (family Momphidae) associated with Epilobium canum (California fuchsia). The species has been documented through larval collections and rearing records but lacks formal taxonomic description. It represents part of the poorly resolved North American Mompha fauna, many species of which are host-specific to Onagraceae.
Momphidae
mompha moths
Momphidae is a cosmopolitan family of microlepidopteran moths comprising approximately 115-120 described species. Adults are small, with wingspans up to 21 mm, and narrow forewings often bearing raised scale tufts. The family exhibits remarkable ecological diversity, with larvae occupying six distinct hostplant tissue types: leaves, flowers, fruits, stems, roots, and shoot tips. Phylogenetic studies have identified six major clades corresponding to distinct feeding modes including leaf mining, gall induction, and stem or seed boring. Many species are host-plant specialists, particularly on Onagraceae.
Proserpinus
day sphinxes, evening primrose hawkmoths
Proserpinus is a genus of seven hawkmoth species in the family Sphingidae. Most species are native to North America, with P. proserpina having a much broader distribution extending from Europe and Asia to Africa. Adults are generally diurnal and exhibit green forewings with orange or red hindwings, though P. flavofasciata displays black and yellow coloration. Larvae specialize on plants in the evening primrose family (Onagraceae), with P. terlooii feeding on Nyctaginaceae instead.
Proserpinus gaurae
proud sphinx moth, Proud Sphinx
Proserpinus gaurae is a medium-sized sphinx moth with distinctive orange and chestnut coloration. Adults are active primarily from April through August, with one or two generations per year. The species is notable for having the longest labial palps of any Proserpinus species. Larvae feed on evening primrose relatives and pupate in shallow soil burrows to overwinter.
SphingidaeMacroglossinaeMacroglossiniProserpinusproud-sphinx-mothProud-SphinxNorth-AmericaUnited-StatesMexicoevening-primroseOnagraceaeOenotheraGauraEpilobiumnocturnalspringsummerAprilMayJuneJulyAugust1797SmithSphinx-gauraemedium-sizedorangechestnutreddishwhiteblacklabial-palpssinuateforewinghindwingshallow-burrowoverwinterpupalarvaherbivorelepidopteristrearcollectprairiemeadowdisturbedopen-habitatTexasLouisianaFloridaAlabamaMissouriGeorgiaSouth-Carolinanorthern-MexicoProserpinus juanita
Juanita sphinx
Proserpinus juanita, the Juanita sphinx, is a hawkmoth in the family Sphingidae first described by Herman Strecker in 1877. It is a medium-sized moth with a wingspan of 45–64 mm, distributed across the Great Plains and southwestern United States. The species is notable for its specialized larval diet on evening primroses and related plants in the family Onagraceae.
Proserpinus lucidus
Pacific green sphinx, bear sphinx
Proserpinus lucidus is a small sphinx moth native to the Pacific coast of North America. Adults are active in winter from December to April, during which they do not feed. The species exhibits unusual seasonal timing among North American sphinx moths, with adults emerging and mating during the coldest months. Larvae feed on specific evening primrose relatives in the genera Clarkia and Camissonia, and possess a distinctive "bullseye" spot in place of the typical horn found in most sphinx moth caterpillars.
Proserpinus vega
vega sphinx moth, Vega Sphinx
Proserpinus vega is a sphinx moth in the family Sphingidae, first described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1903. It occurs in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Adults are active in August, fly during the afternoon, and nectar from flowers. The larvae feed on plants in the evening primrose family (Onagraceae).