Prodoxus praedictus, N. SP., A new bogus yucca moth from Southern California

Abstract

Fruits of most fleshy-fruited yuccas host non-pollinating bogus yucca moths. A peculiar exception has been the widespread and abundant Yucca schidigera Roezl ex Ortgies (mojave yucca), where extensive search has failed to document a resident species. Here we report on the discovery of this predicted taxon, Prodoxus praedictus n. sp., from a small geographic area in southern California, provide a formal description and results of a phylogenetic analysis, and information on species biology.