Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
formerly placed in subfamily Amphipyrinae
placed in subfamily Hadeninae by Kitching and Rawlins in 1999 (no information on Tribe placement could be found on the Internet)
Numbers
3 species in North America (
nearctica.com)
11 species worldwide
Range
E. percara: southern United States (Maryland to Florida, west to California)
E. dulcinea and pallida: west of Texas (California, Arizona, and probably New Mexico)
other species occur in Mexico and Central & South America
Season
adults fly from April to October
Remarks
Emarginea percara is rare and local in the northern part of its range. Its larval food plant (mistletoe) is represented by two species in eastern United States: Oak Mistletoe (
Phoradendron leucarpum) which is widespread, and Mahogany Mistletoe (
P. rubrum) which is restricted to Florida. See
individual species maps at USDA.
Both mistletoe species mentioned above are threatened or endangered, which doesn't bode well for the moth E. percara.
Internet References
pinned adult image of
E. percara by John Glaser, plus food plant and status (Larry Line, Maryland)
pinned adult image of
E. percara (California Dept. of Food and Agriculture)
pinned adult images of
E. dulcinea (Bruce Walsh, Moths of Southeastern Arizona)
pinned adult image of
E. pallida (Bruce Walsh, Moths of Southeastern Arizona)
collection dates of 7 specimens of 3 species in California (U. of California at Berkeley)
classification and synonyms with links to images, references (Markku Savela, FUNET)
placement in subfamily Hadeninae (Brian Pitkin, Butterflies and Moths of the World)
Contributed by
Robin McLeod on 9 January, 2006 - 5:00pm
Last updated 9 January, 2006 - 8:26pm
