Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Desmia funeralis (Hübner)
Identification
Adult: head black with a few white scales. Forewing long, narrow, and pointed; black with two white spots; hindwing with large white blotch; fringe partly white
(1)Range
across southern United States to California, plus northeastern states and southeastern Canada
Habitat
Deciduous forests and edges
Food
Larvae feed on grape (Vitis spp.), Redbud (Cercis canadensis), and evening primrose (Oenothera spp).
Adults take nectar?
Life Cycle
two or three generations per year
Remarks
Day flying, but also comes to lights at night.
See Also
Desmia maculalis is slightly smaller and has prominent white patch on top of head (not slight white scaling, as in Grape Leaffolder); white wing spots not reliable features, since they vary between sexes in both species
(1)
Also, consider this note from Bob Patterson on the
Moth Photographers Group website: "A significant white spot on the head is, according to Covell, a characteristic mark of 5166 -
Desmia maculalis. Brian Scholtens informs me that this is not a reliable character and that the two species cannot be distinguished in typical dorsal view photos. It would be necessary to see mouth parts at high magnification or examine genitalia to make specific determinations. It is best to consider photos of these species as representing a species group."
Several other
Desmia species occur in some areas (example:
Florida has 10 species) - see
pinned adult images of 6 species by Jim Vargo at MPG
Also note resemblance to
Forester moths (Owlet Moth family [Noctuidae], genus
Alypia). This is probably a mimicry complex, since these moths and the Foresters are day-flying. Perhaps they both are mimics of a wasp?
Print References
Covell, p. 400, plate 56 #11
(1)
Internet References
pinned adult image (Bruce Walsh, Moths of Southeast Arizona)
pinned and live adult images by various photographers (Moth Photographers Group)
presence in California; list (U. of California at Berkeley)
