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Species Cisthene plumbea - Lead-colored Lichen Moth - Hodges#8067

Lead-colored Lichen Moth - Hodges#8067 - Cisthene plumbea Gray and orange moth - Cisthene plumbea Texas Lead-colored Lichen Moth - Cisthene plumbea Lead-colored Lichen Moth - Hodges #8067 - Cisthene plumbea unknown moth - Cisthene plumbea Cisthene plumbea Cisthene plumbea? - Cisthene plumbea Cisthene plumbea
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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 Cisthenina
Genus Cisthene
Species plumbea (Lead-colored Lichen Moth - Hodges#8067)
Hodges Number
8067
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Cisthene plumbea Stretch, 1885
* phylogenetic sequence #930184
Size
17-21 mm wingspan
Identification
Recognized by the flat medium gray ground color, extensive yellowish or orange streak along the costal margin, single PM spot on the inner FW margin, and lack of a corresponding spot on the costal margin. The amount of yellow/orange on the entire moth is extremely variable. Many/most examples in the eastern part of its range, named form "injecta" by Dyar (1904), have a completely orange head, thorax, and broad orange suffusion over 1/3 to 1/2 of the wings; the fundamental pattern is still recognizable.
Range
Eastern North America: southern New Jersey south to northern Florida, west to Wisconsin, Kansas, Oklahoma, and cen. Texas.
Habitat
Adults are associated with mixed mesophytic upland woodlands (oak-hickory)(Landau & Prowell 1999).
Season
June-September (2 broods)
Life Cycle
Larvae feed on lichens.
See Also
Striated Lichen Moth of Florida and s. Georgia is similar but has blurry white streaking over much of the forewings. It is genetically very close to Lead-colored (Barcode of Life Data Systems) and may not be specifically distinct.
Print References
Brou Jr., V. A. 2004. Cisthene plumbea in Louisiana. South. Lep. News 26: 7
Covell Jr., C. V. 1984. A field guide to the moths of eastern North America. p.61, pl.12, f.15(1)
Landau, D., and D. Prowell. 1999. A partial checklist of moths from mixed mesophytic hardwood forests in Louisiana (Insecta: Lepidoptera). Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc., 125(1/2):139-150.
Sexton, C., and H. McGuinness. 2017. Identification of lichen moths in the genus Cisthene in the central and eastern U.S. South. Lep. News (39(4):309-322.
Wagner, D. L. 2005. Caterpillars of Eastern North America. p. 459(2)
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group - species page
Discover Life - David L. Wagner photo of caterpillar
Works Cited
1.Peterson Field Guides: Eastern Moths
Charles V. Covell. 1984. Houghton Mifflin Company.
2.Caterpillars of Eastern North America
David L. Wagner. 2005. Princeton University Press.