Periploca nigra
| Periploca nigra | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Cosmopterigidae |
| Genus: | Periploca |
| Species: | P. nigra |
| Binomial name | |
| Periploca nigra Hodges, 1962 | |
Periploca nigra, the Juniper Twig Girdler, is a moth in the Cosmopterigidae family. It was described by Hodges in 1962. It is found in North America, where it has been recorded from New York to Virginia and from Louisiana to California.[1][2]
The wingspan is about 9 mm. Adults are shiny, brownish black. Adults have been recorded on wing from January to July.
The larvae feed on Juniperus chinensis, Juniperus horizontalis, Juniperus sabina and Juniperus virginiana. They tunnel under the bark of twigs of their host plant. Smaller limbs first become yellow, then brown and finally die. Full-grown larvae have a cream coloured body with a brown head.[3]