Species Baileya dormitans - Sleeping Baileya - Hodges#8971

8971

DORMITANS: from the Latin "dormire" (to sleep) - this species lacks "eye spots" but has prominent black chevrons near the apex of the forewings, perhaps reminiscent of the eyelashes of someone sleeping (?)

wingspan 25-31 mm

Adult: forewing uniformly gray with inconspicuous lines and (usually) gray basal patch; subterminal (ST) line sharply bent near costa, forming black inner edge of apical patch; reniform spot a black dot (sometimes absent); hindwing brownish-gray, darker toward outer margin, and with dark streak along inner margin

[adapted from description by Charles Covell (1)]

Larva: body bright green, elongate and somewhat flattened with prominent yellowish subdorsal stripe; anal prolegs splayed; prolegs on third and fourth abdominal segments slightly reduced in size; head large, green, unmarked; labrum creamy; hairs short and inconspicuous

[adapted from description by David Wagner and Valerie Giles]

Quebec and Maine to Florida, west to Texas, north to Wisconsin and Ontario

deciduous woods; adults are nocturnal and come to light

adults fly from April to September

larvae present from June to October

larvae feed on leaves of ash, Black Walnut (Juglans nigra), Blue-beech (Carpinus caroliniana), Butternut (Juglans cinerea), hickory, Hop-hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana)

two generations per year in the south; one in the north

Larva; larva; pupa, pupal leaf shelter, adult

Small Baileya (Baileya australis) forewing ST line almost straight near costa (not sharply bent), PM line more conspicuous and sinuate, and median area usually more silvery (wing not as uniformly gray) (compare images of both species at CBIF)

Moth Photographers Group

pinned adult image (CBIF)

pinned adult image by John Glaser, plus date and location (Larry Line, Maryland)

common name reference plus flight season and larval foodplants (Ohio State U.)

Butterflies and Moths of North America

Key to Baileya species; PDF doc (Vernon Brou, courtesy Yale U.)