Species Acoloithus falsarius - Clemens' False Skeletonizer - Hodges#4629

Classification · Hodges Number · Size · Identification · Range · Food · See Also · Internet References

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)

No Taxon (Moths)

Superfamily Zygaenoidea

Family Zygaenidae (Leaf Skeletonizer Moths)

Genus Acoloithus

Species falsarius (Clemens' False Skeletonizer - Hodges#4629)

Hodges Number

4629

Size

adult wingspan about 15 mm

Identification

adult small and all black except for incomplete orange collar, broken dorsally by black; abdomen relatively short and broad, lacking tufts of hair

larva has whitish or yellowish head capsule (larva of Grapeleaf Skeletonizer has dark head capsule)

Range

Texas to Florida, north to Maryland and Illinois

Food

larvae feed on grape and virginia creeper

See Also

Harrisina americana (Grapeleaf Skeletonizer) adult is larger, has complete neckband, and long slender abdomen bearing tufts of hair, holds wings spread at rest; larva of H. americana has dark head capsule (not pale as in A. falsarius)

See also the larger Yellow-collared Scape Moth, Cisseps fulvicollis

Internet References

live adult images (Bob Patterson, Maryland)

description and other info (U. of Florida)

occurrence in Illinois; checklist (Illinois State Museum)

occurrence in Texas; checklist (U. of Texas)

Contributed by Robin McLeod on 15 March, 2005 - 4:38am
Additional contributions by cotinis
Last updated 8 August, 2006 - 4:06pm

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