The palmerworm (''Dichomeris ligulella'') is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family

Gelechiidae The Gelechiidae are a family of moths commonly referred to as twirler moths or gelechiid moths. They are the namesake family of the huge and little-studied superfamily Gelechioidea, and the family's taxonomy has been subject to considerable dis ...

. It is found in eastern North America. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

is 15–18 mm. Adults are on wing from April to October. There is one generation per year. The larvae feed on apple, hackberry, hazel and oak. The larvae skeletonize leaves and fold or roll them during feeding. It is occasionally responsible for widespread defoliation of hardwood species. Outbreaks rarely last more than one or two years and usually occur during unusually hot and dry springs.

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External links

ImagesBug Guide
ligulella Moths described in 1818 {{Dichomeris-stub