| Title | Host specificity in the Yucca moth, Tegeticula yuccasella complex (Lepidoptera: Incurvariidae): A morphometric approach |
| Publication Type | Thesis |
| Year of Publication | 1979 |
| Authors | Miles NJo |
| Number of Pages | 48 |
| Date Published | 1979 |
| University | New Mexico State University |
| City | Las Cruces, New Mexico |
| Thesis Type | M.S. Thesispp |
| Call Number | 00217 |
| Keywords | dissertation, dissertations, insect,Tegeticula, insect,Yucca moth, Tegeticula, host specificity, theses, thesis, Yucca moth, SEE <Tegeticula |
| Abstract | Four hundred and fifty-eight individuals presently grouped with Tegeticula yuccasella were collected from flowers of Yucca baccata, Yucca elata, and Yucca torreyi from Dona Ana County, New Mexico. A morphometric analysis using characters of the wings and genitalia, and color of the antennae were carried out on 225 individuals. The data were separated into three groups based on plant host species and analyzed using a stepwise discriminate analysis. Significant separation between the tree groups resulted with only two misclassifications. Characters which best separated the groups included wing length, color of the antennae, length of the male genitalia, width of the saccus, length of the aedeagus, diameter of the signum, and height of the base of the ovipositor. Three species were described and compared based on the analysis, although it was not possible to determine if one of these is a subspecies of T. yuccasella. For this reason, no new specific names are given. |
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Science-based management strategies for sustainability of agriculture and other land uses
