Prodoxidae

The Prodoxidae family, commonly known as yucca moths, consists of four species of moths (order Lepidoptera) that are uniquely adapted to specific yucca plants. These small, diurnal moths have tiny spines on their wings.1

The life cycle of the yucca moth is intricately tied to the yucca flower. When the yucca flowers bloom, the female moth collects pollen from one flower, forms it into a ball, and carries it to another flower. There, she lays her eggs and deposits the pollen mass into the flower's opening. The moth larvae consume about half of the seeds produced by the plant, and crucially, the yucca plant relies solely on the yucca moth for pollination. Related species, such as the bogus yucca moth (Prodoxus), have larvae that feed on yucca stems and seed capsules.1