Under Construction

Greya powelli Davis and Pellmyr

Olle Pellmyr
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N.B.: This entity is known to be polyphyletic; changes will be added after a formal revision.
Containing group: Greya

Adult Characteristics

Wing expanse 7-12 mm. Forewing in female white, heavily banded with rusty confluent patches into a checkerspot pattern. Male with white to pale gray forewing, lightly suffused with a sparse scattering of light brown scales, pattern obsolescent if present at all. Hindwing paler than forewing in both sexes.

Comparison with Similar Species

Both sexes resemble G. reticulata but the latter is considerably larger and occurs in more moist habitats.

Host, Oviposition, and Larval Feeding Habits

Feeds on Bowlesia incana (Apiaceae). The female cuts and oviposits into young fruits, and the larva feeds on the developing seeds for the first one or two instars. The life history of later stages is unknown.

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Female ovipositing into a Bowlesia fruit at stem node; picture on right shows paired fruits at node of a plant.

Geographic Distribution

Known from the coastal range between the San Francisco Bay area and the San Gabriel Mountains, and in the south-central Sierra Nevada of California.

Habitat

In dry to slightly moist grassy areas in open oak woodland, particularly at the oak-pine transition. The host plant often grows tucked under Artemisia californica, and these shrubs serve as perch sites for males. Females generally stay on the host, and are rarely seen flying. Elevational range, 300-850 m.

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Typical habitat of G. powelli in Santa Barbara Co., California, USA; shrub above trunk is an Artemisia.

Type

Holotype in USNM.

References

Davis, D.R., O. Pellmyr & J.N. Thompson. 1992. Biology and systematics of Greya Busck and Tetragma n. gen. (Lepidoptera: Prodoxidae). Smiths. Contrib. Zool. 524:1-88.

Title Illustrations
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
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Scientific Name Greya powelli
Location Santa Barbara Co., California, USA
Specimen Condition Dead Specimen
Sex Male
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0.
Copyright © 1996
Scientific Name Greya powelli
Location Santa Barbara Co., California, USA
Specimen Condition Dead Specimen
Sex Female
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0.
Copyright © 1996
About This Page


University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA

Page: Tree of Life Greya powelli Davis and Pellmyr. Authored by Olle Pellmyr. The TEXT of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0. Note that images and other media featured on this page are each governed by their own license, and they may or may not be available for reuse. Click on an image or a media link to access the media data window, which provides the relevant licensing information. For the general terms and conditions of ToL material reuse and redistribution, please see the Tree of Life Copyright Policies.

Citing this page:

Pellmyr, Olle. 1996. Greya powelli Davis and Pellmyr. Version 01 January 1996 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Greya_powelli/12323/1996.01.01 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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