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Tegeticula intermedius
Tegeticula intermedia is a moth of the family Prodoxidae. Along with other moth species, it is commonly known as a yucca moth. T. intermedia lives in North America, particularly the United States. The moth resides in the southwest, the Great Plains, the Southeast, and mid-Atlantic. It also has been found much farther north in regions of Canada like Ontario and Alberta. There are also notable populations present in New Mexico. Their habitats are diverse and vary in terms of climate, landscape, and other factors. The moth lives in sand dunes, forests (pine, pinyon, oak), glades, grassland, desert, and forests from the East Coast to the Southwest. Yucca moths have developed a strong mutualism with the yucca plant, such that both depend on each other for survival. The yucca moths and yucca plants have coevolved over millions of years. However, Tegeticula intermedia differs from most yucca moths in that it exhibits cheating behavior by laying eggs without pollinating the yucca plant.
From the article Tegeticula intermedia on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Range & habitat
T. intermedia primarily lives within the United States in the Southwest and Great Plains. However, it also has managed to maintain populations in the Southeast, including Florida, Georgia, and Virginia. It has additionally been found in Ontario and Alberta, Canada. The latest research suggests that T. intermedia originated from the Southwestern region of the United States, approximately located in present New Mexico. It then followed the yucca plant as it propagated eastward and into the south, particularly in Florida. The sister species to T. intermedia, Tegeticula cassandra, also exhibits cheating behavior in pollination and is restricted to the Southeastern United States. This led some scientists to believe that T. intermedia originated from this region, known as the "out-of-Florida hypothesis." However, recent mtDNA analysis suggests that the species did in fact originate in the West.
Wikipedia: “Geographic range”
What it does
T. intermedia is a predominantly white colored insect. Mild color variation occurs in different regions. The white color allows the moth to blend in with the yucca flower, camouflaging it from predators.
Wikipedia: “Protective behavior”
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Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
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Every page naming Tegeticula intermedius in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 1259065.