Perhaps the best known species is the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders).

P. gossypiella is one of the world's most destructive insect pests that causes terrible damage to cotton bolls.

The larvae (caterpillars) bore into the bolls, causing them to fall or the blossoms to fail to open.

The larvae tunnel through the immature lint and into the seeds eating them.

As a result, the lint may be unpickable or so stunted as to greatly lower the yield and grade.