Bradypodicola

Bradypodicola hahneli is a sloth moth in the family Pyralidae that lives exclusively in the fur of the pale-throated three-toed sloth (Bradypus tridactylus), a three-toed sloth found in South America.[1] It is the only species of the genus Bradypodicola.[2]

Bradypodicola hahneli
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Pyralidae
Genus:
Bradypodicola

Spuler, 1906
Species:
B. hahneli
Binomial name
Bradypodicola hahneli
Spuler, 1906
Synonyms
  • Bradipodicola hahneli

While the other sloth moth, Cryptoses choloepi, has a continuously convex front of its head, Bradypodicola hahneli has a concave shape of the front of its head.[3]

The three-toed sloth's fur forms a micro-ecozone inhabited by green algae and hundreds of insects. The fur provides a home and protection for the moth which feeds on the algae. It also deposits its eggs in the droppings of the sloth, where they pupate and hatch, the newly hatched moths flying off to look for another sloth to live on.[4]

See also

References
  1. Sherman, Lee (Spring 2008). "Expedition to the Edge: An OSU scientist braves an uncharted rainforest in a search for rare and endangered species". Terra. Oregon State University. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  2. "GlobIZ search". Global Information System on Pyraloidea. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  3. "Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington". 1913.
  4. Kissel, Joe (4 February 2005). "The hidden lives of sloths". Interesting Thing of the Day. alt concepts. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
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