Pigritia murtfeldtella

(Chambers, 1874)

Hodges# 1246

Etymology

Pigritia: The Latin definition for pigritia is “lazy” or “sluggishness.”

murtfeldtella: Named for Mary Murtfeldt (1848-1913), an American entomologist who lived primarily in Missouri. Polio left her physically disabled, confined to crutches, and too ill to attend much traditional school as a child and young adult. Despite this, she was able to attend Rockford College and, later, served as the assistant to Charles Valentine Riley, Missouri's state entomologist, from 1868 to 1877. Her work there included recording the life history of several previously scarcely known insects, including moths in the Blastobasidae family. Encouraged by Riley, Murtfeldt later took a job in the Bureau of Entomology of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The suffix ella is Latin for “small.”

Pronunciation

pig-ree-tee-uh murt-feld-tel-uh

Documented Occurrences

This map shows the confirmed sightings of the Pigritia murtfeldtella in Indiana. All sightings were confirmed through photographic documentation by individuals who contributed to the Great American IN Nature Lepidoptera Project (GAIN LP).

GAIN LP Sightings

Date	County	Observer	Notes	Image1	Image2
2020-08-09	Porter	Joll, Chris	Adult
2019-08-22	Porter	Joll, Chris	Adult Bamona Confirmed Normally, most experts consider Pigritia to be unidentifiable to species level in the field. However, this specimen was confirmed by experts at Butterflies and Moths, so it has been included in this page.

Observation Details	Images
Date: 2020-08-09 County: Porter Observer: Joll, Chris Notes: Adult
Date: 2019-08-22 County: Porter Observer: Joll, Chris Notes: Adult Bamona Confirmed Normally, most experts consider Pigritia to be unidentifiable to species level in the field. However, this specimen was confirmed by experts at Butterflies and Moths, so it has been included in this page.

Pigritia spp Sightings by Month

Conservation Status- AS Found nothing on that

• Global status: GNR (not yet ranked)
• National status: NNR (not yet ranked)
• Indiana status: SNR (not yet ranked)

Floral Associates

Currently, the food sources for Pigritia murtfeldtella caterpillars are unknown.

Known Larval Food Sources in Indiana
Family	Taxonomic Name	Common Name
Order: Unknown
Unknown	Unknown	unknown