Identification
Adult: forewing ground color reddish-orange distally (usually) and yellowish proximally; two broad diverging dark gray stripes extend longitudinally along wing, with a third shorter stripe between them at outer margin; hindwing pinkish with broad dark terminal band
Range
United States and southern Canada east of the Rockies
Habitat
wooded areas; adults are nocturnal and come to light
Season
adults fly from May to August in the north; perhaps most of the year in Florida
Food
larvae feed on lichen, algae, and moss on trees
Remarks
As of June 2005, the USGS "Moths of North America" site has its images transposed; if the photos labeled
H. fucosa and
H. miniata traded places, they would be correctly labeled.
The former USGS pages moved to www.butterfliesandmoths.org in mid-2006; as of October 2006, the photos of
fucosa and
miniata are still mislabeled.
See Also
Scarlet-winged Lichen Moth (
H. miniata), whose forewing ground color is entirely red (
compare images of both species at CBIF)
Print References
Covell, p. 62 & plate 12 #2
(1)Internet References
live adult images (Lynn Scott, Ontario)
live adult images (Bob Patterson, Maryland)
live adult image (John Himmelman, Connecticut)
adult images (Larry Line, Maryland)
pinned adult image and other info (Gerald Fauske, North Dakota State U.)
distribution in Canada list of provinces (U. of Alberta, using CBIF data)
