Bucculatrix needhami Braun 1956

Bucculatrix needhami Braun (Figs. 5, 31, 42, 42a, 66, 66a, 67, 67a.)
1956. Bucculatrix needhami Braun, Ent. News LXVII : 69. Type $ , Englewood, Florida [Cornell U., Type No. 3123]. Allotype 2, Englewood, Florida [Cornell U., Type No. 3123].
1948. A Bucculatricid Gall and its hypermetamorphosis, James G. Needham, Journ. N. Y. Ent. Soc. LVI : 43-50.
Head white, tuft brown in the center ; antennae pale gray. Thorax white, tegulae shaded with fuscous anteriorly. Fore wings white, marked with irrorated fuscous streaks which may vary in distinctness, or one or more of them be absent. In well-marked specimens, the following markings can be distinguished (fig. 5) : a median streak from base broadening outwardly for about one-third the wing length, its broad portion ending before the black patch of slightly raised scales lying just below the fold; above the patch of raised scales this streak continues as an attenuated line to the middle of the wing; just posterior to the raised black scales, a broad streak, parallel to termen, extends to the end of the cell, meeting a small black spot; costad of the median streak, starting at basal fifth is a narrower streak, its point directed toward the small black spot at end of cell; below this streak there is usually a short fine fuscous line; beginning just beyond and below middle of costa is a more or less broad very oblique streak which extends into the apical area ; apical costal area dusted with fuscous scales ; scattered fuscous dusting along dorsal margin ; scales along termen black-tipped and forming a more or less conspicuous cluster about halfway along the cilia ; these scales extend along the wing margin to the apex, where the dark color is continued as a blackish pencil in the apical cilia ; a line of slender finely dark-tipped scales near the base of the cilia extends parallel to termen, converging to apex. Hind wings pale gray, cilia rufous at base. Legs white, with fuscous shading, tarsal segments black-tipped. Abdomen whitish.
Alar expanse 13 to 15 mm.
Male genitalia (figs. 66, 66a). Harpes broad, parallel-sided; apical setae blunt conical, proximad slender conical ; socii short, arising near tip of tegumen, setae short ; subscaphium present ; aedeagus with two pairs of opposing teeth near tip. Scale sac large.
Female genitalia (figs. 67, 67a). Ostium goblet-shaped, sclerotized, microscopically spinulose ; signum a very narrow ring, ribs irregularly spined.
Specimens examined. — 12 $ , 10 2.
Florida : Englewood, $ type, March 29, 1946, 2 allotype, March 24, 1946 ; 3 5,32 paratypes, April 5 to April 17 (J. G. Needham) ; Sarasota, 1 2 paratype, March 24, 1946 (J. G. Needham), all reared from galls on stem of Hcliantlvus agrestis Pollard [Cornell U.] ; 8 mi. W. of Moore Haven, Glades Co., 6 $ , 3 2 paratypes, ex pupa, April 7 to May 17, galls on stems of Helianthus agrestis ( C. L. Remington and L. Brass.) [Yale University].
Kentucky: Hiseville, Barren Co., 1 $, 1 2, paratype, imagoes June 3 and June 12, 1941, from galls on stems of Helianthus angitstifolius L., rearing record B.1853 (A. F. Braun) [A.F.B.Coll.].
Illinois: Chicago, 1 2 paratype, VI.3.04 (G. McElhose) [U.S.N.M.].
New York: Karner, 1 S paratype, April 21, 1903, " from gall on Helianthus strumosus" (N.Y.S.Coll.) [U.S.N.M.].
The galls occur on several species of Helianthus, and their size and shape appears to vary with the species of sunflower. Figure 42 shows a gall on Helianthus agrestis Pollard ( H. curtisii Fernald). The following are a few excerpts from Dr. Needham's paper (cited above) : " gall is a thickening of the walls of the stem, about an inch long and four-fifths as wide, and with a large oval cavity inside. It varies in form from oblong to almost round. It tapers a little more abruptly to the stem at the upper end." ..." Galls occur singly on the stems; very rarely two, and when two, one or both are imperfectly formed. They are generally located somewhat below mid-height of the plant." In contrast on Helianthus augustifolius, the irregular galls occur amongst the inflorescence, the peduncles of the flower heads branching out from the gall. The gall may be quite slender when on an individual peduncle and up to as large or larger than that of Gnorimoschema gallaesolidaginis (Riley), when several peduncles branch from it. Fullgrown larvae pass the winter within the gall, leaving in the spring by a small circular opening. The cocoon (fig. 42a) is marked by eight longitudinal ridges, the boundary between the posterior section and anterior one-third clearly defined.
In his paper on this species, Dr. Needham calls attention to the change from the inactive, legless and non-spinning larva (fig. 31) in the gall to the normal Lepidopterous type with prolegs and capable of spinning. These changes take place within the gall, preparatory to leaving it. " Here w r as a non-feeding instar, interpolated between larval and pupal stages : a clear case of hypermetamorphosis " ( p. 45, I.e. ).
The distinguishing characters of the wing markings are the longitudinal streaks, i.e., a slender longitudinal discal streak parallel to the basal streak with a line of fuscous scales between it and the basal streak.

Bucculatrix needhami is a moth in the family Bucculatricidae. It was first described in 1956 by Annette Frances Braun. It is found in North America, where it has been recorded from Florida, Kentucky, Illinois, Maine, New York, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas.

The wingspan is 13–15 mm. The forewings are white marked with irrorated fuscous streaks. The hindwings are pale grey. Adults are on wing from March to July.

The larvae feed on Helianthus species. They create a gall, which has the form of a thickening of the walls of the stem. It varies in form from oblong to almost round. Galls mostly occur singly on the stems and are generally located somewhat below mid-height of the plant.