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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Moths » Noctuoidea » Prominent Moths (Notodontidae) » Dioptinae » Phryganidia » California Oak Moth - Hodges#8031 (Phryganidia californica)
Photo#153988
What are these California oak moths doing? - Phryganidia californica
Copyright © 2007 Iris Inom

What are these California oak moths doing? - Phryganidia californica
Aptos - under an oak tree, on a viburnum flower, Santa Cruz County, California, USA
See my other photo for an action shot.

I'm looking for some info on behavior, not an ID. We're having a huge outbreak of California Oak Moths (Phryganidia californica). The #&@$%& caterpillars have eaten all the leaves off the oaks, so the adults are flying around without much of a place to lay their eggs. I saw this aggregation on a viburnum flower under a denuded oak tree at dusk. Were they trying to mate? Was there a food item they were fighting for? What do the adults eat?

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What are these California oak moths doing? - Phryganidia californica What are these California oak moths doing? - Phryganidia californica
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Contributed by Iris Inom on 26 October, 2007 - 10:27pm
Last updated 22 January, 2008 - 8:11pm

Moved
Moved from Phryganidia.
… tom murray, 22 January, 2008 - 8:11pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Moths.
… tom murray, 22 January, 2008 - 8:10pm login or register to post comments

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