| American Chestnut Moth | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nepticulidae |
| Genus: | Ectoedemia |
| Species: | E. castaneae |
| Binomial name | |
| Ectoedemia castaneae Busck, 1913 |
|
The American Chestnut Moth (Ectoedemia castaneae) was a species of moth in the Nepticulidae family. It was endemic to the United States, including Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
The wingspan is 7.5-8 mm.
The larvae formed galls encircling young twigs of American chestnut, resembling in shape and size egg-masses of the forest tent caterpillar. The moth's synergistic relationship with the North American nut species led to a catastrophic population decline when almost all of the American chestnut trees fell victim to a invading fungus. The American chestnut was driven almost to extinction, and the American Chestnut Moth was driven over the edge.