Grammia virgo

Grammia virgo, the virgin tiger moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found in North America from Newfoundland south to Florida west to Alberta.

Virgin tiger moth
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Subfamily: Arctiinae
Genus: Grammia
Species:
G. virgo
Binomial name
Grammia virgo
Synonyms
  • Bombyx virgo Linnaeus, 1758
  • Apantesis virgo
  • Euprepia virgo var. citrinaria Neumoegen & Dyar, 1893
  • Grammia virgo f. simplex Stretch, 1906

The wingspan is about 56 mm. The colour of the hindwings varies from yellow to scarlet, with one or more median dark blotches in addition to the discal spot.[3]

The larvae feed on various low-growing plants, including Thermopsis rhombifolia and Plantago species.[4] The species overwinters in the larval stage.[5]

Subspecies
  • Grammia virgo virgo (from the Great Lakes region and Atlantic seaboard south through New England, to at least West Virginia. In the west, the range extends to north-eastern British Columbia)
  • Grammia virgo gigas B. C. Schmidt, 2009 (south-eastern United States, including the Great Smoky Mountains, south to Georgia and northern Florida)[6]
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References
  1. Savela, Markku. "Grammia virgo (Linnaeus, 1758)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  2. "930244.00 – 8197 – Apantesis virgo – Virgin Tiger Moth – (Linnaeus, 1758)". North American Moth Photographers Group. Mississippi State University. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  3. "Grammia virgo". Insect Fauna of Tallgrass Prairies. North Dakota State University. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  4. Robinson, E.; Schmidt, B. C. "Species Page - Grammia virgo". Entomology Collection. University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  5. "Species Apantesis virgo - Virgin Tiger Moth - Hodges#8197". BugGuide. December 20, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  6. 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


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