27.9.02
Anatrachyntis badia (Hodges, 1962) (Lepidoptera: Cosmopterigidae) an adventive
species new to the British Isles and a larval description
R. J. HECKFORD
67 Newnham Road, Plympton, Plymouth, Devon PL7 4AW
P. H. STERLING
Environmental Services, Dorset County Council, County Hall, Colliton Park,
Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1XJ
Introduction
Between 13 November and 2 December 2001 RJH bred five specimens of Anatrachyntis badia
(Hodges, 1962), two males and three females, and two hymenopterous parasitoids from seven similar
larvae found in pomegranates (Punica granatum) purchased at the same superstore at Plymouth, Devon
(V.C. 3) between late September and mid November 2001. The origin of the pomegranates was not
stated, but was probably Spain. [Phil]
We cannot trace that the species has been recorded from the British Isles before, and it is possible
that the larva has not been described previously. It is an American species which has not yet been
formally recorded from Europe, but we are aware of unpublished European records and a published
one from France where it was misidentified.
In 2000 RJH had found a few similar larvae in the same fruit at the same
superstore, but they were all dead. Further, on 27 November 2001 a pomegranate
bought in a local market at Plymouth had an identical larva which died. We cannot be
certain that the larvae were of this species because Anatrachyntis rileyi (Walsingham,
1882) apparently has a similar larva. Although we believe that species has not been
recorded from pomegranates, until now A. badia had not been either.
It is very unlikely that these are the only larvae to have been imported accidentally
into this country.
Anatrachyntis badia (Hodges, 1962)
(Fig. 1)
Sathrobrota badia Hodges, 1962, Entomologica Americana 42 (n.s.): 76-77, figs 60, 118, 170.
, . Wingspan 9-10 mm. Head, frons whitish cream, vertex reddish brown, darker brown medially;
antenna about three-quarters length of forewing, scape having pecten with a number of bristles???? reddish
brown, anterior edge whitish cream and ringed whitish cream at apex, flagellum black, ringed whitish
cream distally on each segment to two-thirds, thereafter two segments each ringed whitish cream distally,
two segments all black, two segments each ringed whitish cream distally, two segments all black, one
segment ringed whitish cream distally and the last segment all black, ventral surface of all of approximately
the first ….. basal segments more or less whitish cream; labial palpus segment 2 whitish cream ringed
reddish brown at two-fifths and distally, mixed with black on the outer ??? edge, segment 3 whitish cream
with reddish brown and black patches at three- and five-sixths and apex black mixed with reddish brown.
Thorax reddish brown mixed darker brown, blackish posteriorly. Forewing very narrow, reddish brown,
basally whitish cream with black scaling at base on dorsum, at one-fifth and two-fifths inwardly oblique
and outwardly oblique patches of black scaling more or less surrounded by whitish cream scaling, the ???
black patch at one-fifth extending to costa and towards base but not to dorsum and on costa forming a line
of mixed black and whitish cream scaling towards, but not reaching, the base, the patch at two-fifths not
extending to costa nor dorsum, at three-fifths a sub-costal line of black scaling, whitish cream anteriorly,
extending to pre-apical costal cilia, a line of black scaling mixed with whitish cream from tornus to apex,
becoming broader distally, edged whitish cream costally towards and up to apex, dark brown scaling in
centre of wing from base to three-fifths; cilia reddish brown from apex towards tornus becoming darker
grey……with a distinct black inwardly oblique subapical cilia line…. Hindwing dark grey; cilia
concolorous. Legs, fore-leg tibia black, ringed whitish cream basally and apically and sometimes with a
concolorous medial band, mid-leg tibia black, a comparatively narrow whitish cream band with a reddish
brown medial line, hind-leg black, a broad, diagonal whitish cream stripe with a reddish brown medial line
commencing from above the outer edge of the tibia above the medial spur…………, medial and apical
spurs black with a broad whitish cream basal and apical band; tarsal segments of all legs black, whitish
cream apically. Abdomen grey to dark grey, segments 1-3 ochreous dorsally, edged whitish cream on
segment 1, grey along distal margin of segment 3, with ochreous scales caudally, ventrally ochreous mixed
with dark grey scaling.
Hodges (1962: 76) describes the abdomen as ‘buff-brown with lavender reflections dorsally, creamwhite with some grey ventrally.’ It is surprising that he does not refer to the very conspicuous ochreous
dorsal scaling on segments 1-3, but mentions lavender reflections which we have not observed.
Genitalia  (Fig. 2).
Genitalia  (Figs 3, 4). Ostium bursae in membrane just beyond posterior margin of seventh sternum in
an invaginated pouch containing scent scales.
Biology
The larvae of all Anatrachyntis species whose biology is known are general feeders
or scavengers on a variety of fruits and flowers, often in decaying vegetation. Busck
(1917: 362) states that the larvae of Pyroderces rileyi (Walsingham), now
Anatrachyntis rileyi, a species very closely related to A. badia, are very commonly
associated with cotton wherever the plant is grown in North and South America but
they never do any independent primary injury to sound cotton bolls, but live as
scavengers in the more or less decayed dry bolls injured by other insects.
Hodges (1962: 76-77) described A. badia from over 60 specimens, almost all
reared, between 1910 to 1959, from the United States of America from the following
pabula: pods of Cassia occidentalis L.; peach and loquat mummies; fruits of lime;
grapefruit; banana; cabbage; cocoanut blossoms; elm leaves and cones of Pinus spp.,
including those infested by a Dioryctria sp. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)
All the larvae that we found were in their final instar under a slight spinning covered
with frass and on the inside edge of the calyx, often near the triangular bit ….[what is
this called?]. Each pomegranate had only one larva of this species in the calyx, but
two of the fruits also each had one larva of Cryptoblabes gnidiella (Millière, 1867)
(Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Like C. gnidiella, the larva does not enter the fruit but feeds
within the calyx. We wonder if this suggests that both species may not be harmful to
the plant but possibly beneficial. Pomegranate fruit are suspended from stems, with
the calyx facing towards the ground. The females presumably have to attach their
eggs either to the calyx, flowers or stamens because otherwise the eggs would be
likely to fall out of the plant. If, as seems likely, this means the moths have to insert
their abdomens into the calyx, or flowers then it may well be that they act as
secondary pollinators of the plants.
Description of larva
Although Hodges (1962: 76-77) described the species from a number of specimens,
most reared, he gives no account of the larva and we cannot trace one elsewhere.
Because the species was not separated from A. rileyi until 1962 we wondered if
one or more earlier larval descriptions purportedly of that species might be a
misidentification. The only full description of the larva of this species we have traced
prior to 1962 is that given by Busck (1917: 365-366). He states that the full-grown
larva is ‘7 to 8 mm. long, cylindrical, deep wine red. Head light brown, with blackish
trophi. Thoracic shield broad, undivided, strongly chitinized, dark brown. Anal plate
light brown. Tubercles small, whitish, bearing long, light-brown setae. Crotches of
abdominal feet 20 to 24 in complete circe (sic)’.
Heinrich (1921: 820) says that Busck’s paper gives a complete description of the
adult, larva and pupa of Pyroderces rileyi and so he only seeks to call attention to
certain diagnostic characters of the immature stages. Thus he deals mainly with the
chaetotaxy, but in passing he mentions ‘pink bandings on anterior and posterior
margins (not in the middle) of the [body] segments’. This does not agree with Busck’s
description of a larva whose body segments were of a much darker hue, and,
impliedly, not banded.
Zimmerman (1978: 1053, fig. 744) figures an uncoloured [check] larva of
‘Anatrachyntis supposedly rileyi (Walsingham), as determined by Busck, but possibly
badia (Hodges)’, without giving any description. He adds that unfortunately Busck’s
illustration of the male genitalia is inaccurate and misleading, and his figure of a hind
leg is, in fact, that of A. badia and so he concluded that Busck probably included A.
badia in his concept of A. rileyi. Indeed in his original description of A. badia
Hodges (1962: 76) had drawn attention to the fact that Busck’s illustration of the
hind-leg of P. rileyi was a misidentification of A. badia.
Our description is as follows. Head brown, blackish posteriorly, stemmata black;
prothoracic plate black with a very narrow whitish medial division, with a conspicous
black spot below the lateral edge; body dull pink, appearing darker to the naked eye
than under the microscope, intersegmental divisions paler; pinacula distinct but very
small, brown, larger on thoracic 2 and 3 and abdominal segment 9; peritremes of
spiracles pale brown; setae comparatively long and translucent; anal plate black;
thoracic legs translucent, pale brown, ventral and anal prolegs translucent.
The black prothoracic and anal plates and brown pinacula mark the larva of A.
badia from Busck’s description of A. rileyi, and so even though he may have included
A. badia in his concept of the adult of A. rileyi there was no confusion over the larva.
Pupa pale reddish brown, in a slight, semi-transparent, whitish cocoon, and not
extruded on emergence of the imago.
Parasites
On 30 October 2001 RJH bought three pomegranates, each of which had one larva,
as described above. Two hymenopterous parasitoids, one of each sex, emerged from
each of these on 13 November and one A. badia on 26 November that year. Dr M. R.
Shaw identified the parasites as belonging to the genus Choeras Mason (1981)
(Braconidae: Microgastrinae), which attacks a range of concealed larvae of
Microlepidoptera.
Remarks
We made our identifications from illustrations prepared by Mr J. C. Koster for
Microlepidoptera of Europe Volume 5 of both the adults and genitalia of three
Anatrachyntis species, A. rileyi, A. badia and A. simplex (Walsingham, 1891), which
look very much alike externally. The first two are quite similar, but separable, on the
genitalia; A. simplex is markedly different from both on the genitalia.
We suggest that A. badia should be placed in the British list immediately after Cosmopterix
lienigiella Lienig & Zeller, 1846, under the genus Anatrachyntis Meyrick 1915 and be given the
number 897a (Bradley, 2000: 30).
Distribution
The species is known from many localities in the southern parts of the United
States of America (including Hawaii) from Florida to California and as far north as
Maryland. We are aware of as yet unpublished records from Europe.
Further,
Varenne & Nel (2001: 176) record as new to France and Europe a male A. rileyi taken
at light on 26 October 2000 near Vieux-Salins, Hyères, département of Var in the
region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, not far from the Mediterranean coast. Their
determination was based on the figure of the genitalia of that species in Riedl (1969:
887 fig. 297), but their illustration of the genitalia clearly shows the species to be A.
badia.
As stated in the Introduction, the pomegranates from which RJH bred moths
probably came from Spain. The reason is because the superstore where RJH bought
them had pomegranates, labelled as originating from Spain, both before and after
those were bought which produced the moths and parasites. The superstore then had
some from India and later some from Iran. The pomegranates from those countries
differ from each other and also from the Spanish ones in the colour and shape of the
fruit, and the ones that contained the larvae agreed with those labelled as originating
from Spain.
[Phil]
MATERIAL EXAMINED
England: 2 , 3  Devon, Plymouth (V.C.3), larvae in calyces of Punica granatum, 22.ix.2001,
6.x.2001, 30.x.2001, 3.xi.2001 and 13.xi.2001, adults emerged 13.x.2001 (genitalia slide no. 933 , RJH),
13.xi.2001 (genitalia slide no. 929 , RJH), 26.xi.2001 (genitalia slide no. 940 , RJH) and 12.xii.2001 (R.
J. Heckford); 1  Dorset, …..(V.C.9) larva in calyx of Punica granatum, …….2001, adult emerged
…...2001, (P. H. Sterling) (genitalia slide no. ……., RJH).
Acknowledgements
We are very grateful to Mr M. R. Honey (The Natural History Museum, London
(BMNH)) for photographing the moth, checking records of pest species from
pomegranates, providing photocopies of certain papers and drawing RJH’s attention
to Varenne & Nel’s publication, Mr J. C. Koster (Callantsoog) for generously providing
his excellent illustrations of the adults and genitalia of the three species of Anatrachyntis
mentioned in the text in advance of the publication of the Micolepidoptera of Europe
Volume 5 to enable us to identify our specimens, as well as considerable help generally,
Dr T. H. Freed (Ferring) for his fine illustrations of the genitalia, Dr J. D. Bradley
(Chard Junction) for general advice, Dr K. Sattler (BMNH) for referring RJH to
Zimmerman’s publication and Dr M. R. Shaw (National Museums of Scotland,
Edinburgh) for identifying the parasitoids, providing helpful information and allowing
us to publish this. We acknowledge the copyright in the photographs as belonging to
the Trustees of the BMNH. Mr? G. J. Balogh (Portage, USA), Vicki
References
Bradley, J. D. 2000. Checklist of Lepidoptera recorded from the British Isles vi, 116 pp. Fordingbridge.
Busck, A. 1917. The pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella. Journal of
Agricultural Research 9 (10): 343-370, figs 1-7, pls 7-12.
Heinrich, C. 1921. Some Lepidoptera likely to be confused with the pink bollworm.
Journal of Agricultural Research 20: 807-836, pls 93-109.
Hodges, R.W., 1962. A revision of the Cosmopterigidae of America north of
Mexico, with a definition of the Momphidae and Walshiidae (Lepidoptera:
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