Periploca nigra

Periploca nigra, the juniper twig girdler, is a moth in the Cosmopterigidae family. It was described by Hodges in 1962. It is found in the United States, where it has been recorded from New York to Virginia and from Louisiana to California.^[1][2]

The wingspan is about 9 mm. Adults are shiny, brownish black. Adults have been recorded on wing from January to July.

The larvae feed on Juniperus chinensis, Juniperus horizontalis, Juniperus sabina and Juniperus virginiana. They tunnel under the bark of twigs of their host plant. Smaller limbs first become yellow, then brown and finally die. Full-grown larvae have a cream colored body with a brown head.^[3]

References

• Natural History Museum Lepidoptera generic names catalog