Stats

Lifespan

A few weeks

Size

Tiny

Diet

Herbivore

Activity

Nocturnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Temperate forest

Range

Worldwide

Movement

Flight

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Common

About

Twirler moths are tiny insects with fringed wings that inhabit conifer forests. Larvae burrow deep inside plant tissues to create protective growths called galls.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A tiny ribbed egg laid on the underside of a host-plant leaf, hatching within days.
2. 2.
   caterpillar

   A voracious caterpillar feeds and molts through several instars, growing rapidly.
3. 3.
   cocoon

   A silk cocoon spun in leaf litter or soil while the body remodels into a winged adult.
4. 4.
   moth

   A winged adult with feathery antennae and scaled wings, most active after dark.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Gelechiidae