Torcid moth, proabably Adoxophyes, Saipan, CNMI

June 2012. A member from Guam wrote that he had been asked to identify a small moth found in large aggregations on foliage on Saipan. I images are at: http://guaminsects.myspecies.info/mystery-moth-saipan. Can someone identify the moth?

An identification was made on the Hawaii discussion list (INVERTS-L) by Peter Oboyski, UC Berkeley: “It looks like a tortricid in the tribe Archipini. Probably a species of Adoxophyes.” That is a great clue. In Clarke 1976 (Insects of Micronesia Vol. 9, No. 1: Microlepidoptera: Tortricoidea) there are only 2 tortricids listed for the southern Marianas: Adoxophyes meliaand Polyopha oachranta.

Dave Briton from the Australian Museum (and A PestNet Associatiate) said: “they are certainly tortricids; the aggregation behaviour is reminiscent of some species of gelechiid moths in Australia. I can’t comment on the generic designation, but I think that Peter’s [Oboyski] tribal level ident is reasonable”.