Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Chytolita petrealis (Guenée, 1854)
(1)
Herminea morbidalis Guenée 1854
Chytolita petrealis Grote 1880
Chytolita fulicalis Smith 1907
Zanclognatha punctiformis Smith 1895
Phylogenetic sequence #930502
*2013 revision placed
Chytolita petrealis Grote 1880 [8356] as a synonyms of
Chytolita morbidalis (1)Explanation of Names
MORBIDALIS: from the Latin "morbidus" (sickly, diseased), from "morbus" (disease); probably refers to the moth's "sickly" pale color
Numbers
There is one named species of
Chytolita in America north of Mexico.
(1)Identification
forewing pale grayish-white; lines diffuse, brownish or orangish; AM line slightly jagged or irregular; PM line sinuate with small scallops; ST line straight, composed of several dark spots or wedges
hindwing even paler with faint grayish veins
Habitat
deciduous woods and edges; generally drier or less boggy habitat than Chytolita petrealis
Season
Univoltine
on Block Island, RI, with adult records from early June to early August.
(2)Food
larvae feed on dead leaves of deciduous trees, and have been reared on dandelion, grass, hazel, lettuce
Print References
Crabo, Lars G., et. al. 2013. Five new species and three new subspecies of Erebidae and Noctuidae (Insecta, Lepidoptera) from Northwestern North America, with notes on Chytolita Grote (Erebidae) and Hydraecia Guenée (Noctuidae).
(1)Internet References
Images and Info at Barcoding Life
presence in South Carolina; county map (John Snyder, Furman U., South Carolina)
