Subject: Black and white moths in the peach and nectarine trees
Location: Torrance, CA
July 26, 2013 11:33 pm
I know I have Oriental Fruit Moth larvae in my fruit, but this isn’t the adult. These guys are hanging out in my peach and nectarine trees. What’s my new worry?
Thanks in advance!
Signature: Linda Eremita
We believe this is a member of the superfamily Pyraloidea which contains Crambid Snout Moths and Pyralid Moths. There is a Peach Pyralid Moth, Dichocrocis punctiferalis, but if this photo on FlickR is to be believed, it is not your moth. We also located an antique print of the species. We may need to do additional research on this, and as we are leaving town unexpectedly, we hope to have a more definite answer to you in the next day.
Julian Donahue provides an identification
Always a detour. First, the name of your moth.
Yes, it’s a pyralid, but these days it’s in the Crambidae, split from the Pyralidae.
The moth is Glyphodes onychinalis (no common name), a native of Indo-Australia that was recently rediscovered in California (an earlier population disappeared) in Culver City by Don Sterba. It’s larvae feed on ornamental oleander (Nerium oleander) and the milkweed Gomphocarpus fruticosus (both of which impart toxicity to the adults).
The adult moths perch on any variety of nearby trees, but most certainly came from larvae that fed on nearby oleander. The record from Torrance is an apparent range extension, and the moth may be expanding its range from where it first appeared (most likely an accidental introduction).
I’m attaching a better photo from Don Sterba, the original discoverer of the new infestation, but note that it is copyrighted and may not be suitable for What’s That Bug?