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Digital Guide to Moth Identification

Choreutidae
47a0048.1n – 2652.01   Choreutis sexfasciella (Sauber, 1902)
             Banyan leaf skeletonizer

© James Bailey
Distribution: USA: CA (southern), FL.
Larva and
Host Plants:
Ficus spp.
Description/
Field Marks:
See Heppner (2024).
Similar Species:
  • Type locality (sexfasciella): Luzon, Philippines.
    Type locality (fulminea): Sri Lanka.
    Type locality (emplecta): Cairns, Queensland, Australia.
    Type locality (xxx): xxx
  • Pinned specimens of related species. (Hint: select View by Region on the related species page.)
Synonymy:
  • sexfasciella Sauber 1902 (Choreutidia); Type locality: Philippines
  • emplecta Turner 1942 (Simaethis); Type locality: Cairns, QLD, Australia
  • fulminea Meyrick 1912 (Simaethis); Type locality: "Ceylon, Trincomali"
  • Taxonomic Notes: Choreutis sexfasciella (Sauber, 1902) is an invasive species native to Southeast Asia recently established in southern California and Florida (Hayden et al. 2022). Listed as 47a0005 Anthophila emplecta by Rota in Pohl & Nanz (eds.) (2023), the names were synonymized in Heppner (2023). Bippus (2020) had previously transferred emplecta to Anthophila, a treatment with which John Heppner (pers. comm. 6 Jan 2024) disagreed. DNA barcode supports Choreutis as the correct genus (Jadranka Rota, pers. comm. 8 Jan 2024).
    References
    • Barcode of Life (BOLD) (C. emplecta) - Caution: DNA barcode provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification, and some BOLD specimens shown may not be sequenced.
    • Bippus, M., 2020. Records of Lepidoptera from the Malagasy region with description of new species (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae, Noctuidae, Alucitidae, Choreutidae, Euteliidae, Gelechiidae, Blastobasidae, Pterophoridae, Tonzidae, Tineidae, Praydidae, Cosmopterigidae, Batrachedridae). Phelsuma, 28: 60-100.
    • Ghonem, A., H. Ramadan, Y.G. El-Abed, D.A. Elsakhawy, 2020. New record of Oriental Metalmark Moth Choreutis sexfasciella (Sauber) (Lepidoptera: Choreutidae: Choreutinae) in Egypt. Alexandria Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 65(6): 379-383.
    • Hayden, J. E., J. B. Heppner & M. R. Moore, 2022. Choreutis sexfasciella (Sauber), a choreutid moth, a new Florida state record. Tri-ology, 61(4): 8.
    • Heppner, J.B., 2023. Choreutis sexfasciella introductions in southern California and Florida (Lepidoptera: Choreutidae: Choreutinae). Lepidoptera Novae, 16: 49-54.
    • Heppner, J.B., 2024. Nearctic Metalmark Moths, 8. Genus Choreutis (Lepidoptera: Choreutidae: Choreutinae). Lepidoptera Novae, 17(1-2): 57-82.
    • Meyrick, E., 1912. Exotic Microlepidoptera, 1: 48. (fulminea)
    • Pohl, G. R. and S. R. Nanz (eds.), 2023. Annotated Taxonomic Checklist of the Lepidoptera of North America, North of Mexico. Wedge Entomological Research Foundation, Bakersfield, California, xiv + 580 pp. (order).
    • Sauber, 1902. In Semper, G. (ed.), Die nachtfalter. Heterocera. Sechste lieferung. Die schmetterlinge der Philippinischen Inseln. Beitrag zur Indo-Malayischen lepidopteren-fauna, 2: 702. (sexfasciella)
    • Species Page at BugGuide.Net
    • Species Page at iNaturalist (C. emplecta)
    • Species Page at iNaturalist (C. sexfasciella)
    • Turner, A.J., 1942. Fragmenta lepidopterologica. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland, 53: 93.
    Choreutis sexfasciella
    © Carl Hanson
    Choreutis sexfasciella
    LG - Australia – © CSIRO/BIO Photo. Grp., CBG

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