Grammia ornata

Grammia ornata, the ornate tiger moth or achaia moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Alpheus Spring Packard in 1864. It is found in western North America from southern British Columbia through the Pacific Northwest to southern California, northern Utah, and western Wyoming and Montana. It is found in a wide range of habitats, including open woodland.

Ornate tiger moth
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Superfamily:	Noctuoidea
Family:	Erebidae
Subfamily:	Arctiinae
Genus:	Grammia
Species:	G. ornata
Binomial name
Grammia ornata (Packard, 1864)
Synonyms
Callarctia ornata Packard, 1864 Apantesis ornata Apantesis ornata ab. ochracea Stretch, 1872 Arctia simplicior Butler, 1881 Arctia achaia var. barda H. Edwards, 1881 Euprepia (Cymbalophora) blakei var. perpicta Dyar, 1893 Arctia achaia var. maculosa Stretch, 1906 Arctia achaia var. rivulosa Stretch, 1906 Arctia achaia var. ochracea-rivulosa Stretch, 1906 Apantesis californica Cassino, 1917 Apantesis ornata ab. sulphuricella Strand, 1919

The length of the forewings is 18.6 mm. The ground colour of the forewings is black with pale yellowish or pinkish-buff band. The hindwings are pale to bright yellow, orange or scarlet with black markings. Adults are on wing from mid-May to late June. Although records from August and September may indicate a partial second generation.[1]

The larvae feed on various herbaceous plants.[2] The larvae are covered with long black hairs dorsally and laterally and with red hairs ventrally. It has a yellow-orange middorsal line.

References

1. Schmidt, B.C. 2009: Taxonomic revision of the genus Grammia Rambur (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Arctiinae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 156: 507-597. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00496.x
2. BugGuide

• Pitkin, Brian & Jenkins, Paul. "Search results Family: Arctiidae". Butterflies and Moths of the World. Natural History Museum, London.