Pyroderces badia (Hodges, 1962)
Florida Pink Scavenger
 (previously known as Anatrachyntis badia)
COSMOPTERIGINAE,   COSMOPTERIGIDAE,   GELECHIOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley


(Photo: courtesy of Graeme Cocks, Townsville, Queensland)

The Caterpillars of this species are pink, with a dark brown head and tail. They scavenge on the damaged flowers and foliage of a wide variety of plants, including:

  • Coconut ( Cocos nucifera, ARECACEAE ),
  • King Sago ( Cycas revoluta, CYCADELES ),
  • Sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor, POACEAE ), and
  • Grapefruit ( Citrus paradisi, RUTACEAE ).


    (Photo: courtesy of the Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph)

    The adult moths have brown wings, with broken dark bands across them. The moths have a wingspan of about 1 cm.

    The species occurs in many parts of the world, including

  • Bermuda,
  • Portugal,
  • United States of America,

    as well as in Australia including

  • Queensland,
  • New South Wales, and
  • Western Australia.

    Further reading :

    David Adamski, John W Brown, & William H White,
    Description of the immature stages of Pyroderces badia (Hodges) (Lepidoptera: Cosmopterigidae), with a new host record from louisiana,
    Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington,
    Volume 108 (2006) pp. 341-346.

    Ronald W. Hodges,
    A revision of the Cosmopterigidae of America north of Mexico,
    Entomologica Americana,
    Volume 42 (1962), pp. 1-166.

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    (written 8 February 2013, 25 September 2023)