Grapeleaf Skeletonizer

Taxobox
name = Grapeleaf skeletonizer
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Insecta
ordo = Lepidoptera
superfamilia = Zygaenoidea
familia = Zygaenidae
genus = "Harrisina"
species = "H. americana"
binomial = "Harrisina americana"
binomial_authority = Guerin-Meneville 1844

The Grapeleaf Skeletonizer, "Harrisina americana" is a moth in the family Zygaenidae. It is widespread in the eastern half of the United States, and commonly noticed defoliating grapes, "Vitis spp." or Virginia creeper, "Parthenocissus quinquefolia." The western grapeleaf skeletonizer, "Harrisina brillians" Barnes and McDunnough, is very similar to and slightly larger than "H. americana," but their distributions are different.Members of this family all produce hydrogen cyanide, a potent antipredator toxin (Scoble, 1995).

Life History

There are several generations per year in the south, and one in the north of its range.

Eggs

Eggs are lemon yellow, shaped like a capsule, slightly over 0.5 mm in length. They are laid in clusters on the underside of leaves, and hatch in about a week.

Larvae

Larvae are stout, with ten bright yellow bands or lines of dots, and eleven black bands alternating (Wagner, 2005). Tey have hair-like setae that, if brushed against, will give a rash that lasts several days (Wagner, 2005). They feed in groups that become progressively smaller as the larvae age. They are always on the underside of the leaves, and frequently they line up side-by-side. Development from hatch to pupation takes about 40 days. Maximum length: 15mm.

Pupa

The pupa is brown, and the stage lasts about 2 weeks. It is the overwintering stage, among leaves at the base of the plant (Wagner, 2005).

Adult

Adult moths are uniformly black except for a yellowish or orange collar. The body and wings are long and narrow, and the abdomen is usually held curled upwards. It has a tuft of 'hairs' at the tip of the abdomen. Length of the moth is 8 to 12 mm, while the wing expanse is 22 to 28 mm. Adults are diurnal and nocturnal, visiting flowers. They live only a few days.

References

*Scoble, MJ, 1995., The Lepidoptera: form, function, and diversity. 2nd edition. Oxford Univ. Press.

*Wagner, DL, 2005. Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton Univ. Press.

External links

* [http://www.marylandmoths.com/Html/Zygaenidae/Harrisina_americana.html] Adult
* [http://www.sc.edu/library/spcoll/abbot/assets/abbot_ref/abbot056a.jpg] Drawing of larva, adult and pupa by John Abbot
* [http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/fruit/grapeleaf_skeletonizer.htm grapeleaf skeletonizer] on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site