''Tegeticula tehuacana'' 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 Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Prodoxidae. It is found in Mexico in

Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...

, western- and south-western

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

, and central-northern

Puebla Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...

centred on the Tehuacan Valley. 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 20–24 mm for males and 22.5–26 mm for females. The forewings are white with a narrow band of dark brown scales. The hindwings are dark brownish grey. Adults are on wing in late April., 2008, ''Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society'' 152 (2): 297-31

/ref> The larvae feed on ''

Yucca periculosa ''Yucca periculosa'' Baker, Garden Chronicle 1870: 1088. 1870 is a plant in the family Asparagaceae with the common name izote (pronounced "ee-SOH-tay"). It is native to the Mexican states of Veracruz, Morelos, Guerrero, Puebla and Oaxaca O ...

'' and ''

Yucca mixtecana ''Yucca mixtecana'' García-Mend. is a plant species in the family Asparagaceae, native to the Mexican states of Puebla and Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Li ...

''.

Etymology

The species epithet refers to the Tehuacan desert region, which contains the known sites of the species.

References

Moths described in 2008 Prodoxidae {{Incurvarioidea-stub