''Pima occidentalis'' is a species of

snout moth The Pyralidae, commonly called pyralid moths, snout moths or grass moths, are a family of Lepidoptera in the ditrysian superfamily Pyraloidea. In many (particularly older) classifications, the grass moths (Crambidae) are included in the Pyralida ...

. It is found in the south-western

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. There are two generations per year in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. The larvae feed on ''

Astragalus ''Astragalus'' is a large genus of over 3,000 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae and the subfamily Faboideae. It is the largest genus of plants in terms of described species. The genus is native to tempe ...

'' species, including ''

Astragalus allochrous ''Astragalus'' is a large genus of over 3,000 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae and the subfamily Faboideae. It is the largest genus of plants in terms of described species. The genus is native to ...

'', ''

Astragalus thurberi ''Astragalus'' is a large genus of over 3,000 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae and the subfamily Faboideae. It is the largest genus of plants in terms of described species. The genus is native to ...

'' and ''

Astragalus wootonii ''Astragalus'' is a large genus of over 3,000 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae and the subfamily Faboideae. It is the largest genus of plants in terms of described species. The genus is native to ...

'', as well as ''

Lathyrus ''Lathyrus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae, and contains approximately 160 species. Commonly known as peavines or vetchlings, they are native to temperate areas, with a breakdown of 52 species in Europe, 30 species ...

'' species. Young larvae bore into developing legumes at the base and cover the opening with white silk. They feed on the seeds. If all seeds of a legume are consumed, a larva may move to another. The larvae have a greenish white to white body and a pale brownish yellow head. They reach a length of 13.1-20.5 mm. Pupation takes place under debris on the soil, usually after overwintering in a hibernaculum.

Taxonomy

''Pima occidentalis'' was formerly treated as a subspecies of ''

Pima albiplagiatella ''Pima albiplagiatella'', the white-edged pima moth or beach pea borer, is a species of snout moth described by Alpheus Spring Packard in 1874. It is found in the south-western United States, as well as Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Manitoba, New ...

''.mothphotographersgroup
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References

Moths described in 1956 Phycitini Pima (moth) {{Phycitini-stub