Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFProdoxidae Members: Prodoxus Members: 23 NC Records

Prodoxus decipiens Riley, 1880 - Bogus Yucca Moth

Prodoxus decipiens
view caption 		Prodoxus decipiensProdoxus decipiensProdoxus decipiens
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Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Incurvarioidea		 Family:
Prodoxidae		Subfamily:
Prodoxinae		Tribe:
[Prodoxini]		P3 Number:
21a0045		 MONA Number:
200.10
Comments: The genus Prodoxus contains 22 described species in North America. This genus is a sister group to the pollinating yucca moths (Tegeticula and Parategeticula) that have mutualistic relationships with yuccas. Althoff et al. (2001) split what was previously a single, wide-ranging species (P. quinquepunctella) into two species. The eastern form is now recognized as P. decipiens, while the western form is P. quinquepunctella (sensu stricto). Prodoxus decipiens is the only Prodoxus that is found east of the Mississippi River.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Leckie and Beadle (2018)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Althoff et al., 2001.                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The following is based on Althoff et al.'s (2001) redescription of the species. The integument is amber to medium brown. The head and thorax have white scales. The maxillary palp is five-segmented and lacks a tentacle on the basal segment as is seen in Tegeticula. The labial palp is three-segmented with a prominent apical sensilla. The proboscis is tan-colored and relatively long, while the antenna is dark brown, with white scales on the basal half. The dorsal surface of the forewing is completely white, except for a dark frontal edge on the basal quarter of the costa. The underside is brown except for a yellowish white portion that overlaps the light to medium grayish brown hindwing. The underside of the hindwing is sparsely scaled in brownish gray, with a darker area along the fore edge where it overlaps with the forewing. The wing fringes are white. The abdomen has dorsal scaling that is white and light tan, with the last two segments with white linear semierect scales that form a brush. The underside is white to light tan in females, and light to medium tan and rarely white in males. The legs are whitish with rusty brown on the tarsi.

Our two yucca moths (P. decipiens and Tegeticula yuccasella) often co-occur locally and can be found resting inside the same yucca flowers during the day. They are very similar externally, and are best identified via genitalia or by examination of the head region. Female T. yuccasella have a conspicuous tentacle at the base of the maxillary palp that is used to pollinate flowers (Pellmyr and Krenn, 2002), while P. decipiens does not. The species also differ in size (Althoff et al., 2001, Pellmyr, 1999) as follows: T. yuccasella; wing length = 8.4-10.0 mm for males and 9.3- 11.7 mm for females, P. decipiens; 4.0–8.8 mm for males and 4.6–11.0 mm for females.
Wingspan: Males 11.0–18.0 mm; females 14.5–24.5 mm (Althoff et al., 2001).
Forewing Length: Males 4.0–8.8 mm, females 4.6–11.0 mm (Althoff et al., 2001).
Adult Structural Features: The following description of the genitalia is based on Althoff et al. (2001). Males: The valva is mostly linear, but expanded dorsally at the apex and has 3–6 short spines along the apico-ventral margin. The aedeagus is 1.21–1.96 mm long. Female genitalia: The posterior apophyses are 3.6–7.6 mm long, while the ovipositor is 0.06–0.19 mm high near the tip, with 5–11 dorsal teeth. The corpus bursae has two 0.10- to 0.22 mm signa (Althoff et al., 2001).
Genitalia and other structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Immatures and Development: Prodoxus decipiens is a specialist on yuccas, but does not actively pollinate the flowers like members of the genus Tegeticula. Adults are active at night, and mate within the yucca flowers. After mating, a female lays her eggs individually in the flower stalk using her serrated ovipositor like a saw to cut into the tissue. The larvae feed on tissue within the stalk for about a month. Prior to diapause, they excavate a tunnel to the surface of the stalk, then retreat to the back of the feeding gallery and remain in diapause for the winter. Pupation occurs in the stalk the following spring, about one week prior to emergence (Groman and Pellmyr, 2000). Larvae can remain in diapause for several years during prolonged droughts, and the adults emerge from the previous years’ scapes throughout the flowering period (Althoff et al., 2004).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Prodoxus decipiens occurs throughout much of the east-central and eastern US, from central Texas and Florida northward to Kansas, Illinois, Ohio, and Virginia (Althoff et al., 2001). Populations appear to be patchily distributed statewide, and are restricted to sites where the host plants occur.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Prodoxus decipiensAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
Piedmont (Pd)
Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.