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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Owlet Moths and kin (Noctuoidea) » Erebidae » Tiger and Lichen Moths (Arctiinae) » Tiger Moths (Arctiini) » Spilosomina » Spilosoma » Brown Tiger Moth - Hodges#8139 (Spilosoma pteridis)

Species Spilosoma pteridis - Brown Tiger Moth - Hodges#8139

Classification · Hodges Number · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Spilosoma danbyi - Spilosoma pteridis Brown Tiger Moth - Spilosoma pteridis 811 Spilosoma pteridis - Brown Tiger Moth 8139 - Spilosoma pteridis - male Spilosoma danbyi - Spilosoma pteridis - male Spilosoma pteridis - Brown Tiger Moth 8139 - Spilosoma pteridis - male Brown Tiger Moth - Spilosoma pteridis Spilosoma pteridis Spilosoma pteridis
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 Arctiini (Tiger Moths)
Subtribe Spilosomina
Genus Spilosoma
Species pteridis (Brown Tiger Moth - Hodges#8139)
Hodges Number
8139
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Spilosoma pteridis Edwards, 1874
Elpis danbyi Neumögen & Dyar, 1893
Explanation of Names
PTERIDIS: from the Greek "pteris, pteridos" (a fern); I don't know the connection between this species and ferns
Size
wingspan about 32 mm
Identification
head and thorax rusty orange; forewing dark reddish-brown with blackish shading and faint lines; discal spot black, indistinct
hindwing dark charcoal gray with black discal spot and brown fringe
Range
British Columbia to Saskatchewan, south to northern California; one record from Manitoba
Habitat
moist meadows and clearings in coniferous forests; adults are nocturnal and attracted to light
Season
adults fly in May and June
Food
larvae feed on leaves of Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) and other herbaceous plants
See Also
Ruby Tiger Moth (Phragmatobia fuliginosa) has dark reddish-brown or blackish head and thorax, translucent forewing, and red area on hindwing; Spilosoma danbyi has brown head and thorax, and chocolate brown forewing (compare images of all three species)
Spilosoma vagans has lighter yellowish or orangish forewings (compare images of both species; also see separate image of S. vagans)
Print References
Lafontaine, J. Donald and B. Christian Schmidt. 2015. Additions and corrections to the check list of the Noctuoidea (Insecta, Lepidoptera) of North America north of Mexico III. ZooKeys 527: 127–147 (available here)
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group (MPG) (1)
The Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) (2)
Pacific Northwest Moths (PNM) (3)
pinned adult image plus common name reference, habitat, flight season, food plant, distribution (G.G. Anweiler, U. of Alberta)
distribution in Canada list of provinces (CBIF)
Works Cited
1.North American Moth Photographers Group
2.BOLD: The Barcode of Life Data Systems
3.Pacific Northwest Moths
Contributed by Robin McLeod on 7 February, 2006 - 2:22am
Additional contributions by Bob Patterson, Steve Nanz, ceiseman
Last updated 8 March, 2018 - 2:11pm

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