Knotgrass Tussock moth

Description:

A Lymantriid moth feeding on knotgrass with peculiar reproductive biology. The adult female is wingless and remains all her adult life in the cocoon in which she emerged from the pupa. Pheromones released by her attract the winged males who arrive to the cocoon and copulate with her. She lays eggs inside the same cocoon, and the emerging larvae consume her body before leaving the cocoon and spreading on the host plant. In the picture an open cocoon with a female and eggs inside can be seen.

Habitat:

Desert hills.