Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Registration is open for the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowse
Info
ImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Window-winged Moths (Thyridoidea) » Window-winged Moths (Thyrididae) » Thyridinae » Pseudothyris » Mournful Thyris - Hodges#6077 (Pseudothyris sepulchralis)

Species Pseudothyris sepulchralis - Mournful Thyris - Hodges#6077

Classification · Hodges Number · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Size · Identification · Range · Season · Food · Remarks · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Mournful Thyris - Hodges#6077 - Pseudothyris sepulchralis Thyris sepulchralis (Mournful Thyris) - Pseudothyris sepulchralis black white moth - Pseudothyris sepulchralis grape leaf moth? - Pseudothyris sepulchralis 25May2017.UF.HN.lep1 - Pseudothyris sepulchralis Mournful Thyris - Pseudothyris sepulchralis skipper - Pseudothyris sepulchralis Pseudothyris sepulchralis
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Thyridoidea (Window-winged Moths)
Family Thyrididae (Window-winged Moths)
Subfamily Thyridinae
Genus Pseudothyris
Species sepulchralis (Mournful Thyris - Hodges#6077)
Hodges Number
6077
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Thyris sepulchralis Guérin-Méneville, 1832
Pseudothyris sepulchralis (Guérin-Méneville, 1832) Thiele, 1986
Thyris lugubris Boisduval, 1852
Thyris margaritana (Clemens, 1862)
Size
Wingspan 15-23 mm. (1)
Identification
Adult: wings black with large median and other smaller white spots; those at margin give wings a ragged look. Hindwing has white median patch. (1)
Range
Maine to Florida, west to Texas, north to Michigan and Ontario. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6)
Moth Photographers Group - large map with some distribution data.
Season
Adults appear to be most common from February to July. (1), Moth Photographers Group
Food
Larvae feed on Smilax species. (7)

Adults take nectar from flowers of herbaceous plants, and have been seen taking fluids from damp sand (guide photos and photos in Internet references).
Remarks
Conspicuous when seen flying in daytime because of bold pattern. (1) Sometimes mistaken for Butterflies.
See Also
Spotted Thyris (Thyris maculata) is smaller, and its forewing has orange shading and fewer white spots.
Print References
Covell, p. 393, plate 56 #13 (8) (1)
Thiele, J.H.R., 1986. Die Gattung Thyris Hoffmannsegg, 1803. Uber die Ergebnisse der Untersuchungen fur eine Monographie (Lep., Thyridae). Atalanta (Munchen), 17: 105-146.
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group (9)
The Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) (10)
distribution and pinned and live adult images by James Adams and Randy Emmitt respectively (Dalton State College, Georgia)
live adult image and date (Dale Clark, Texas)
presence in Ontario; list (NHIC; Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources)
Butterflies and Moths of North America
Works Cited
1.Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America
Charles V. Covell, Jr. 2005.
2.Oklahoma moth species list by county (PDF)
3.Moths of Brackenridge Field Laboratory University of Texas at Austin
4.Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Florida
5.South Carolina Moth Species
6.Moths of Dallas County, Texas
7.Arthropods of Florida and Neighboring Land Areas: Lepidoptera of Florida
J.B. Heppner. 2003. Florida Department of Agriculture 17(1): 1-670.
8.Peterson Field Guides: Eastern Moths
Charles V. Covell. 1984. Houghton Mifflin Company.
9.North American Moth Photographers Group
10.BOLD: The Barcode of Life Data Systems
Contributed by tom murray on 11 June, 2005 - 6:21pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Steve Nanz, Beatriz Moisset, Robin McLeod, Maury Heiman, David Ferguson, Robert Lord Zimlich, marcie oconnor, Randy Hardy, George Smiley
Last updated 21 July, 2022 - 2:03am

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact