Phalonidia lavana

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Phalonidia lavana

Overview
Phalonidia lavana is a small moth in the Tortricidae family found in North America. It has undergone several name changes in scientific classification and is also known by synonyms such as Platphalonidia lavana and Phalonia lavana.

Taxonomy
- First described in 1907 by August Busck as Phalonia lavana.
- Later moved to Platphalonidia (Razowski, 1997), and there have been changes in how similar groups are classified.
- Current common usage often places this species in the genus Phalonidia (Phalonidia lavana), with synonyms including Phalonia lavana, Platphalonidia lavana, and Platphalonia lavana.
- MONA number: 3833 (some lists list 3834 in older checklists).

Description
- Wingspan: about 12–16 mm (different sources vary slightly).
- Forewings: pale cream to white with olive or grey shading and darker markings; the edge near the base and the apical area can have darker tones.
- Hindwings: whitish to pale grey.
- The original 1907 description noted white mouthparts and a forewing pattern of black and brown markings; the 1997 redescription gives a cream-white ground color with olive-brown-grey bands.

Distribution and habitat
- Found across North America, including Alberta, British Columbia, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Quebec.
- Habitat is terrestrial; the species is part of the region’s moth fauna.

Life cycle and behavior
- Adults have been recorded from April to September, with most sightings from May to July.
- Not a migratory species; there is no evidence of long-distance migration.

Conservation
- There is no listed conservation status for this species.

Notes
- The classification history reflects changes in how tortricid moths are grouped; current entries commonly use Phalonidia lavana, while older sources may use Platphalonidia lavana or other related names.