Harrisina americana
| Harrisina americana | ||||||||||||
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Harrisina americana |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Harrisina americana | ||||||||||||
| ( Guérin-Méneville , 1832) |
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Acoloithus falsarius
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Cisseps fulvicollis
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Harrisina americana is a butterfly fromthe ram family (Zygaenidae)found in North and Central America.
features
butterfly
Harrisina americana reaches a wingspan of 22 to 28 millimeters. The wings are narrow, elongated and black without drawing. A ring-shaped closed orange-red collar behind the black head is striking. The upper side of the hind wing is black without drawing. The abdomen is also black and ends with a short fan-shaped, bilobed tail tuft. In both sexes the black antennae are ciliate. The proboscis is well developed.
Similar species
- In Acoloithus falsarius , the orange-red collar is always interrupted. The species is smaller than Harrisina americana with a wingspan of around 15 millimeters .
- In Cisseps fulvicollis , the collar is a little lighter orange. The species is larger than Harrisina americana with a wingspan of 30 to 37 millimeters .
Both of the aforementioned species lack the bilobed tail tuft.
Caterpillar
Full-grown caterpillars of Harri Sina americana have a yellow base color and are provided with ten black, light interrupted horizontal stripes that are formed from a series of short hairy warts point. The head capsule is dark brown.
Occurrence and habitat
Harrisina americana occurs in large numbers in east and central North America, from Ontario to Florida and in parts of Central America. The main habitat are sunny, open fields, warm slopes, gardens and wine-growing areas.
Way of life
The mostly diurnal moths fly in the southern distribution areas in several generations throughout the year, in the north mainly in July. Occasionally the moths also appear in artificial light sources . They like to visit different flowers to take in nectar. The main food plant of the caterpillars is the self-climbing virgin vine ( Parthenocissus quinquefolia ), also known as "wild wine" . The caterpillars are sometimes unpleasant because of the defoliation of cultivated vines in home gardens. One of the first symptoms is the appearance of brown, necrotic, skeletonized leaf tissue, as the young, sociable larvae prefer to eat some, but not all, of the layers of a leaf. Later stages destroy almost the entire leaf and leave only a few large veins. In English usage, the species is therefore referred to as the Grapeleaf Skeletonizer (vine leaf skeleton moth ).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Featured Creatures
- ^ Locations according to information from Mississippi State University
- ↑ inaturalist.org flight time and photos
Web links
- BugGuide - Iowa State University information
- butterfliesandmoths - Butterflies and Moths of North America