Female with reduced maxillary tentacles. Comparison with similar species This very large non-pollinating species, approached in size only by superficiella and elatella , is readily distinguished by the reduced tentacles in the female. Internally quite variable, and more than one good species may be covered under this name.
Females oviposit into full-size fruit, laying eggs directly into developed seed.
The larva feeds on developing seeds. Pupation occurs in a cocoon in the soil. Geographic distribution Documented from southwestern California, Arizona, New Mexico, northern Coahuila, western and southernmost Texas, Colorado, and the westernmost Plains of Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana. Habitat Typical habitat includes grasslands, shrub desert, rocky hillsides, open pine forest, and shrubby grassland. References Pellmyr, O. 1999.