Grammia virgo
| Grammia virgo | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grammia virgo |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Grammia virgo | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
Grammia virgo is a butterfly ( moth ) from the subfamily of the bear moth (Arctiinae). The species is known as the Virgin tiger moth in English usage.
features
butterfly
The moths have a fore wing length of 20 to 27 millimeters. The upper side of the forewings has a black basic color, from which the veins and some transverse lines stand out as a broad milky white. The upper side of the hind wings is orange-red to bright red in color. There is a series of black spots in the submarginal region . In addition, black discoid spots stand out . The thorax is furry and black and shows whitish longitudinal stripes. Short black stripes and wedge marks stand out from the red abdomen on the sides and in the middle.
Caterpillar
The brownish caterpillars are hairy red-brown or black-brown. There are yellow-brown or dark brown point warts on the back and sides. The topline is yellowish.
Similar species
Grammia parthenice the black discoidal spots on the upper side of the hind wing are missing.
Distribution and occurrence
Grammia virgo is distributed in the east and south-east of North America from Nova Scotia in a southerly direction to north Florida . It is numerous in Alberta , but mostly only sporadically in the central Canadian provinces and in the midwest and western US. The specimens from the southern regions are assigned to the subspecies Grammia virgo gigas Schmidt , 2009. The species lives mainly on moist meadows and in open deciduous forests.
Way of life
The nocturnal moths fly in one generation from spring to July. You visit artificial light sources . The caterpillars prefer to feed on the leaves of various plantain ( Plantago ), sunflower (Asteraceae) and legume species (Fabaceae) and overwinter.
Individual evidence
Web links
- eol.org - Encyclopedia of Life