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Digital Guide to Moth Identification

Choreutidae
47a0048.1n – 2652.01   Choreutis sexfasciella (Sauber, 1902)
             Banyan leaf skeletonizer

© James Bailey
Distribution: USA: CA (southern), FL.
Type locality (emplecta Turner, 1942): Cairns, QLD, Australia.
Type locality (sexfasciella Sauber, 1902): Philippines.
Type locality (fulminea): "Ceylon, Trincomali".
Larva and
Host Plants:
See Ghonem et al. (2020).
Similar Species:
  • Pinned specimens of related species. (Hint: select View by Region on the related species page.)
Synonymy: Choreutidia sexfasciella (Sauber, 1902)
Simaethis emplecta Turner, 1942
Simaethis fulminea Meyrick, 1912
Taxonomic Notes: Choreutis sexfasciella (Sauber, 1902) is an invasive species native to Southeast Asia recently established in southern California and Florida (Hayden et al. 2022). Listed as 47a0005 Anthophila emplecta by Rota in Pohl & Nanz (eds.) (2023), the names were synonymized in Heppner (2023). Although emplecta was transferred to Anthophila in Bippus (2020), Heppner retained sexfasciella in the genus Choreutis and disagrees with the generic treatment by Bippus (John Heppner, pers. comm. 6 Jan 2024). DNA barcode supports Choreutis as the correct genus (Jadranka Rota, pers. comm. 8 Jan 2024).
References
  • Barcode of Life (BOLD) (C. emplecta) - Caution: Some specimens shown may not be sequenced. DNA barcode provides evidence of relatedness not proof of identification.
  • Bippus, M., 2020. Records of Lepidoptera from the Malagasy region with description of new species (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae, Noctuidae, Alucitidae, Choreutidae, Euteliidae, Gelechiidae, Blastobasidae, Pterophoridae, Tonzidae, Tineidae, Praydidae, Cosmopterigidae, Batrachedridae). Phelsuma, 28: 60-100.
  • Ghonem, A., H. Ramadan, Y.G. El-Abed, D.A. Elsakhawy, 2020. New record of Oriental Metalmark Moth Choreutis sexfasciella (Sauber) (Lepidoptera: Choreutidae: Choreutinae) in Egypt. Alexandria Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 65(6): 379-383.
  • Hayden, J. E., J. B. Heppner & M. R. Moore, 2022. Choreutis sexfasciella (Sauber), a choreutid moth, a new Florida state record. Tri-ology, 61(4): 8.
  • Heppner, J.B., 2023. Choreutis sexfasciella introductions in southern California and Florida (Lepidoptera: Choreutidae: Choreutinae). Lepidoptera Novae, 16: 49-54.
  • Meyrick, E., 1912. Exotic Microlepidoptera, 1: 48. (fulminea)
  • Pohl, G. R. and S. R. Nanz (eds.), 2023. Annotated Taxonomic Checklist of the Lepidoptera of North America, North of Mexico. Wedge Entomological Research Foundation, Bakersfield, California, xiv + 580 pp. (order).
  • Sauber, 1902. In Semper, G. (ed.), Die nachtfalter. Heterocera. Sechste lieferung. Die schmetterlinge der Philippinischen Inseln. Beitrag zur Indo-Malayischen lepidopteren-fauna, 2: 702. (sexfasciella)
  • Species Page at BugGuide.Net
  • Species Page at iNaturalist (C. emplecta)
  • Species Page at iNaturalist (C. sexfasciella)
  • Turner, A.J., 1942. Fragmenta lepidopterologica. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland, 53: 93.
Choreutis sexfasciella
© Carl Hanson
Choreutis sexfasciella
LG - Australia – © CSIRO/BIO Photo. Grp., CBG

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