carpenter moth

carpenter moth

▪ insect
      any member of a group of insects in the moth and butterfly order, Lepidoptera, whose pale, nearly hairless larvae bore in wood or pithy stems and can be highly destructive. The larvae live one to three years. Adults have vestigial mouthparts, long, thick bodies, and gray to brown wings that are frequently mottled or spotted. The wingspan varies from under 2.5 cm (1 inch) in the temperate zone to about 25 cm (10 inches) in Xyleutes boisduvali of Australia.

      The carpenterworm moth (Prinoxystus robiniae) has a wingspan of about 5 cm (2 inches) and is the most familiar North American cossid. The mahogany-coloured larvae of the goat moth (Cossus cossus) attack deciduous trees and exude a strong, goatlike odour. The members of this family are sometimes called leopard moths (leopard moth) because the species Zeuzera pyrina has white wings with black or blue blotches, similar to the coat pattern of the feline snow leopard. Its larvae bore in deciduous trees, especially fruit trees, for about two years before pupating within their larval burrows.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • carpenter moth — noun : the adult of the carpenterworm or a related moth (family Cossidae) called also goat moth * * * carpenter moth, a large moth whose larvae burrow in the solid wood of deciduous trees …   Useful english dictionary

  • goat moth — noun Etymology: so called from the fact that its larva exhales an odor suggestive of a he goat : any of the large stout bodied moths of the family Cossidae; especially : a European moth (Cossus cossus) whose larva bores in the wood of living… …   Useful english dictionary

  • carpenterworm moth — any moth of the family Cossidae, as Prionoxystus robiniae of the U.S. and southern Canada, whose larvae bore into the trunks and branches of oaks, locusts, and other trees. Also called carpenter moth. * * * …   Universalium

  • carpenterworm moth — any moth of the family Cossidae, as Prionoxystus robiniae of the U.S. and southern Canada, whose larvae bore into the trunks and branches of oaks, locusts, and other trees. Also called carpenter moth …   Useful english dictionary

  • poplar goat moth — noun : a large gray and black carpenter moth (Acossus centerensis) whose larva bores in poplar trees …   Useful english dictionary

  • pecan carpenter worm — noun : a worm that is the larva of a cossid moth (Cossula magnifica) and that bores in the twigs, branches, and trunk of pecan, oak, and hickory …   Useful english dictionary

  • lepidopteran — /lep i dop teuhr euhn/, adj. 1. lepidopterous. n. 2. a lepidopterous insect. [1850 55; LEPIDOPTER(A) + AN] * * * Any of the more than 100,000 species constituting the order Lepidoptera (Greek: scaly wing ): butterflies, moths, and skippers. The… …   Universalium

  • car|pen|ter|worm — «KAHR puhn tuhr WURM», noun. the larva of the carpenter moth …   Useful english dictionary

  • Skein (comics) — Superherobox| caption=Skein. comic color=background:#ff8080 character name=Skein real name=Sybil Dvorak species=Human Mutant publisher=Marvel Comics debut= Spider Woman (1st series) #10 (January 1979) creators=Mark Gruenwald Carmine Infantino… …   Wikipedia

  • Robin of Sherwood — Opening title Format Drama, Adventure Created by Richard Carpenter Starring …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”