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Species Crambidia cephalica - Yellow-headed Lichen Moth - Hodges#8053

Unidentified Moth ??? - Crambidia cephalica

Crambidia cephalina - Crambidia cephalica

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 Noctuoidea (Owlet Moths and kin)

Family Erebidae

Subfamily Arctiinae (Tiger and Lichen Moths)

Tribe Lithosiini (Lichen Moths)

Subtribe Lithosiina

Genus Crambidia

Species cephalica (Yellow-headed Lichen Moth - Hodges#8053)

Hodges Number

8053

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Crambidia cephalica (Grote & Robinson, 1870)

Lithosia cephalica Grote & Robinson, 1870

* phylogenetic sequence #930227

Explanation of Names

cephalica is derived from Latin cephalicus meaning "relating to the head", perhaps a reference to the yellow head.

Size

forewing length 9-15 mm (Powell & Opler, 2009)(1)

Identification

Adults - forewing slender, white, held close to body when at rest; top of head yellow; antennae white, simple.

Range

Central Nevada, Utah and Wyoming south to Arizona, New Mexico, and west Texas (Powell & Opler, 2009).(1) Moth Photographers Group shows several records in and around Kentucky and Tennessee, and as far north as Alberta, Canada. BAMONA shows records records into Florida. Covell reports that specimens from West Virgina, North Carolina, and Kentucky may belong to this or an unnamed species.(2) BugGuide has one record for New Jersey (det. Chris Schmidt).

Season

Adults fly March through September. Multiple broods (Powell & Opler, 2009).(1)

Food

Larvae presumably feed on lichens and algae like other Lithosiini.

See Also

Crambidia xanthocorpa

Crambidia casta - head white on top, not yellow (compare images of both species at CBIF).

Agylla septentrionalis - broader forewing and yellow pectinate antennae and is restricted to southern Arizona (Moths of Southeastern Arizona).

Pygarctica flavidorsalis - broader forewing and black pectinate antennae.

Print References

Covell Jr., C. V. 1984. A field guide to the moths of eastern North America. p.60 ,(2)

Grote, A. R. & C. T. Robinson 1870. Description of American Lepidoptera, no. 5. Trans. American Ent. Soc. 3: 176

Powell, J. A. & P. A. Opler 2009. Moths of Western North America, Pl.46.40m; p.266

Stretch, R. H. 1873. Illustrations of the Zygaenidae & Bombycidae of North America 1(1-9): pl.2, f.14

Internet References

Moth Photographers Group - species page

BAMONA - species page

E.H. Strickland Museum - large image of pinned adult

E.H. Strickland Museum - Alberta, Canada records

CBIF - pinned adult image

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Lepidoptera checklist

Works Cited

1.	Moths of Western North America Powell and Opler. 2009. UC Press.

2.	Peterson Field Guides: Eastern Moths Charles V. Covell. 1984. Houghton Mifflin Company.

Contributed by Robin McLeod on 12 September, 2008 - 11:43pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Randy Hardy, Kyhl Austin
Last updated 15 December, 2017 - 2:56pm

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