| Hemlock Moth | |
|---|---|
| A well-camouflaged adult | |
| Mounted Adult | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Oecophoridae (disputed) |
| Genus: | Agonopterix |
| Species: | A. alstroemeriana |
| Binomial name | |
| Agonopterix alstroemeriana (Clerck, 1759) |
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| Synonyms | |
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The Hemlock Moth, also known as the Defoliating Hemlock Moth or Poison Hemlock Moth, is a moth species of the family Oecophoridae (concealer moths). Therein, it belongs to the subfamily Depressariinae, which is (particularly in older sources) sometimes placed in the related family Elachistidae instead, or elevated to a full family Depressariidae within the Gelechioidea. Of Palaearctic origin, it was first found in North America in 1973 when it was accidentally introduced.
It has been used in biological control of the lethally toxic Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum), which is eaten by its caterpillars (larvae). The larval form grows to about 12 mm, while the adults wingspan is between 17 mm and 19 mm.
Media related to Agonopterix alstroemeriana at Wikimedia Commons
| External identifiers for Agonopterix alstroemeriana | |
|---|---|
| EOL | 936051 |
| Also found in: [//species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Agonopterix_alstroemeriana Wikispecies] | |