''Melitara doddalis'' is a species of snout moth in the genus ''

Melitara ''Melitara'' is a genus of snout moths in the subfamily Phycitinae. It was described by Francis Walker in 1863. Some sources list it as a synonym of '' Zophodia'', while others retain it as a valid genus. Species * '' Melitara apicigrammella'' ...

''. It was described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1925, and is found in the United States in southern

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, southern

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

, south-western

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and in northern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. Adults are on wing from September to early October. Pupation occurs on the ground during August and September.Cactus Feeding Moths
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Food sources

The larvae feed on '' Opuntia ficus-indica'', ''Opuntia macrorhiza'' var. ''macrorhiza'' and ''Opuntia phaeacantha'' var. ''phaeacantha''. They tunnel downward into the basal segments of the host plant. In 2020 a study found that ''M. doddalis'' is unselective as to which ''Opuntiae'' it chooses to feed upon.

Taxonomy

The species was previously considered a synonym of ''

Melitara dentata ''Melitara dentata'', the North American cactus moth, is a moth of the family Pyralidae. The species was first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1876. It is native to western North America, where it is widespread from Alberta to southern ...

''.

References

{{Phycitini-stub Moths described in 1925 Phycitini