Ctenucha virginica

Ctenucha virginica, the Virginia ctenucha, is a moth of the family Erebidae.

Virginia ctenucha
Adult
Larva
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Subfamily: Arctiinae
Genus: Ctenucha
Species:
C. virginica
Binomial name
Ctenucha virginica
Esper, 1794
Synonyms
  • Sphinx virginica
  • Ctenucha latreillana

Morphology

The wingspan ranges from 40–50 millimetres (1.6–2.0 in).[1] The wing color varies from black to olive-brown. The body is a metallic blue-green. The head is yellow-orange, with feathery antennae. The caterpillar (about 20–25 mm) has multiple tufts of white and yellow hair.[2] It undergoes metamorphosis in May–August.

Range

It is endemic to eastern North America, from Newfoundland south to Virginia. According to the University of Alberta, there has been a westward expansion in the last 60 years as it has reached the Canadian rockies and is now found in all Canadian provinces.[3]

Food plants

Larvae feed on a variety of host plants including various grasses, irises, and sedges. Adults drink nectar from flowers including goldenrod.[4]

Images

Similar species
gollark: Also, you would end up with some authority judging all these procedures which is too much power and bad and uncool.
gollark: I disagree. You should be able to if you're just weird like that.
gollark: I mean, on the one hand, you might be slightly less happy due to wearing a helmet, but on the other hand you're less likely to die horribly.
gollark: Safety things mean you're likely to be less hurt by mistakes, thus ENHANCING learning.
gollark: It would be like something which electrocutes you whenever you make a compile error. You don't want to make compile errors in the first place, and making them worse is not very helpful.

References
  1. "Bugguide". Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  2. Patch, Edith (1921). A Meadow Caterpillar. University of Maine.
  3. "U of Alberta Species page - Ctenucha virginica". Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  4. "Bugguide". Retrieved 30 December 2014.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.