Bagworm Moth
Oiketicus abbotii
Observed on Velvet Mesquite (Prosopis velutina) near Arivaca, Pima Co., Arizona. July 2013.
Psychidae -- Bag-Worm Moth Family
Abbot's Bagworm can be found on a wide variety of plants, but in the Sonoran Desert I have found it most frequently on mesquite. The caterpillar remains inside a silken bag that incorporates bits of leaves and twigs with only the head and legs exposed for feeding and navigation. Movements and feeding tend to occur at night, dusk or dawn. When the larva reaches maturity it pupates inside the same silk bag. The adult female moth, after it ecloses, remains in the bag and is wingless, i.e., she remains inside the bag throughtout her life. Only the male moth is winged and can fly - he will find and mate with a female that is concealed inside her silken bag.