Family Cossidae: Carpenter moths
| Diagnosis: Proboscis greatly reduced or absent;
wings hyaline, media stem present and forked within discal cell; fw with
accessory cell, intercalary cell (loop formed by anastomosis of anal
veins) present and about half length of discal cell; abdomen extending
well beyond hindwings.
Diversity: Worldwide there are six subfamilies, 113 genera, and about 670 species; North America has four subfamilies, 11 genera and at least 45 species. Two species occur in North Dakota. Checklist numbers: 2656- 2700. Biology: Eggs are usually laid singly or in small clusters under loose bark of woody plants. Egg numbers have been estimated as high as 1,800 eggs per female. Larvae bore deep into woody plants, many species have a multiple year life cycle. Pupae can be found partially extruded from an exit hole in their host. Adults of some tropical species mimic fallen flowers. Economically important species include the Carpenter moth and Leopard moth.
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| Further reading:
Barnes, William and James H. McDunnough. 1911. Revision of the Cossidae of North America. Contrib. Natr. Hist. Lep. North Amer. 1(1): 1-36. Donahue, Julian P. 1980. Resurrection of the genus Morpheis (Cossidae), with description of a new species in the cognatus group from southern Arizona. J. Lepid. Soc. 34(2): 1730181. McKnight, M. E. and A. D. Tagstad. 1972. Megachile centuncularis nest in carpenterworm gallery. J. Kans. Enotmol. Soc. 45(1): 51- 3. Edwards, Edward D. et al., Chapter 11. The Cossoid/ Sesioid assemblage, pp. 181- 197 in Kristensen, Neils P. ed. 1999. Lepidoptera, moths and butterflies. Part 35, Vol. 1 in Handbook of Zoology. Maximilian Fischer ed. Walter de Gryter, New York. 491 pp. Scoble, Malcom J. 1992. The Lower Ditrysia, Chapter 11, pp. 225- 289 in The Lepidoptera: form, function, and diversity. Oxford Univ. press. 1982. 404 pp.
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