Periploca nigra

Description

Periploca nigra, the juniper twig girdler, is a moth in the family Cosmopterigidae. It was described by Ronald W. 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. 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, J. horizontalis, J. sabina and J. 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.