Upiga
Upiga is a monotypic moth genus described by Hahn William Capps in 1964. The genus is placed in the family Crambidae, but has also been placed in Pyralidae. It contains only one species, Upiga virescens, the senita moth, described by George Duryea Hulst in 1900 and found in the Sonoran Desert of North America.
| Senita moth | |
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| Genus: | Upiga Capps, 1964 |
| Species: | U. virescens |
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| Upiga virescens (Hulst, 1900) | |
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The moth is best known for its obligate mutualism with Pachycereus schottii, the senita cactus. The senita moth is one of the few pollinators of the senita cactus, and the moth relies on the cactus as a host for reproduction. Larvae bore into flowers and consume the developing fruit and seeds inside. This obligate mutualism is similar to that of yuccas and yucca moths.
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