Identification
Adult: sexually dimorphic - male forewing white basally with two black patches along costa, the distal patch merging with general blackish shading beyond PM line, leaving white patch near apex; female forewing mostly dark gray or blackish except for two white patches along costa, and some white at base and outer margin; small black orbicular spot surrounded by white, and usually prominent in both sexes
hindwing whitish or pale gray; dark grayish-brown shading along outer margin in female only
Range
Ontario and Quebec to Florida, west to Arizona, north to Kansas and Iowa
Habitat
gardens, fields, open areas; adults can be flushed from plants during the day
Season
adults fly from March to September in the south; reduced season in the north
See Also
in the east,
Olive-shaded Bird Dropping Moth (
Tarachidia candefacta) has greenish-yellowish shading and large dark reniform spot on forewing; in the
Small Bird Dropping Moth (
T. erastrioides), blackish patch on forewing does not reach costa or outer margin
the Four-spotted Bird Dropping Moth (
Acontia tetragona) is similar to
A. aprica but orbicular spot usually obscured by blackish medial shading, not surrounded by white as in
A. aprica (see
comparison images at MPG)
in the southwest, a number of other
Acontia species look similar to
aprica (see
comparison images at MPG)
Internet References
pinned adult images of male and female plus comparison photos of many other
Acontia species (Moth Photographers Group)
pinned adult image of female (James Adams, Dalton State College, Georgia)
pinned adult image of male plus technical description (California Dept. of Food and Agriculture)
pinned adult images of two females (Bruce Walsh, Moths of Southeastern Arizona)
distribution in Canada only Ontario and Quebec (CBIF)
Contributed by
Robin McLeod on 17 April, 2006 - 2:35pm
Last updated 17 April, 2006 - 3:38pm
