Species Schinia citrinellus - Hodges#11204

11204

Schinia citrinellus (Grote(1) & Robinson, 1870)

Heliothis citrinellus Grote & Robinson, 1870 (2)

Phylogenetic sequence # 932067 (3)

citrin - Greek for lemon which refers to the pale yellow color of the forewing.(4)

Wingspan is 23-27 mm. (5), (2)

Grote & Robinson (1870) original description as Heliothis citrinellus is available in the print references. (2)

Most diagnostic examples have a pale yellow forewing with a dark discal dot, and a broad black terminal band on the hindwing. The band is broken and faded in many examples. However, some populations may lack both the spot and the terminal band entirely, and may closely resemble luxa.

Specimen identified by DNA analysis (BOLD) (6)

Southwest United States. (5), (7)

Type locality: USA: Texas.

The flight period is March to October. (5)

Apparently two broods. (8)

The larvae feed on Croton species including, Croton californicus Müll. Arg. (California croton). (8)

Eggs are deposited on the new flower buds or within newly opened blooms. (8)

Notes on the life cycle and description of the larvae can be found in the PDF. (8)

Nocturnal with no daytime activity reported for adults, unlike many Schinia species. (8)

Schinia luxa has several black dots on the forewing and the hindwing lacks the black band. However, not all citrinellus have a black hindwing band and caution is advised.

Grote & Robinson, 1870. Descriptions of American Lepidoptera No. 5. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 3: 180. (2), (9)

Powell, J.A., & P.A. Opler, 2009. Moths of Western North America. University of California Press. plate 52, fig. 36; p. 291.(10)

Moth Photographers Group (5)

The Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) (6)

Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA) (11)