Tegeticula intermedia

Tegeticula intermedia is a <a href="/facts/Moth/bPrkvkGh">moth</a> of the <a href="/facts/Family_(biology)/qTrn6E8E">family</a> <a href="/facts/Prodoxidae/wL1llaAq">Prodoxidae</a>. Along with other moth species, it is commonly known as a yucca moth. T. intermedia lives in North America, particularly the United States. The moth resides in the southwest, the <a href="/facts/Great_Plains/LWPW30WU">Great Plains</a>, the Southeast, and mid-Atlantic. It also has been found much farther north in regions of Canada like <a href="/facts/Ontario/HUkxk5Rf">Ontario</a> and Alberta. There are also notable populations present in <a href="/facts/New_Mexico/wosJCGaW">New Mexico</a>. Their habitats are diverse and vary in terms of climate, landscape, and other factors. The moth lives in sand dunes, forests (pine, pinyon, oak), <a href="/facts/Glade_(geography)/GqbTJ6NJ">glades</a>, grassland, desert, and forests from the East Coast to the Southwest. Yucca moths have developed a strong <a href="/facts/Mutualism_(biology)/29hCDDS2">mutualism</a> with the yucca plant, such that both depend on each other for survival. The yucca moths and yucca plants have <a href="/facts/Coevolution/r7w308za">coevolved</a> over millions of years. However, Tegeticula intermedia differs from most yucca moths in that it exhibits cheating behavior by laying eggs without pollinating the yucca plant.

Tegeticula intermedia open-in-new

Tegeticula intermedia