Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Harrisina americana (Guérin)
Orig. Comb: Aglaope americana Guérin, 1829
Phylogenetic sequence # 139875
Size
Winspan 18-28 mm, length 8-12 mm.
Identification
Adult: wings narrow, completely black, held spread out and away from body at rest; collar orange/red, complete (not broken, as in
Clemen's False Skeletonizer); tip of abdomen has prominent tufts of scales; antennae pectinate in both sexes, and plumose in male
Larva: head dark; body yellow with complete black band across each abdominal segment
Habitat
Found on flowers in fields, etc. Adults are diurnal and nocturnal, and come to light.
Season
adults fly April-October in much of range; March-October in Florida
larvae present from April/May to November in Florida
Food
Larvae feed on grape foliage, and can be pests; may also feed on Redbud, Virginia Creeper.
Adults take nectar.
Life Cycle
two or possibly three generations per year in Florida
See Also
Yellow-collared Scape Moth (
Cisseps fulvicollis) have more triangular-shaped wings, and lack scale tufts on the abdomen.
Clemens' False Skeletonizer (
Acoloithus falsarius) is much smaller, has incomplete orange/red collar, and lacks abdominal scale tufts.
Other black and orange-winged moths from other families, such as Arctiidae:
Lycomorpha pholus;
Virginia Ctenucha (
Ctenucha virginica);
Print References
Covell p. 413, plate 57
(1)
Powell, J.A. & P.A. Opler, 2009.
Moths of Western North America. University of California Press, pl. 21, fig. 12; p. 162.
(2)Internet References
Featured Creatures - F.W. Mead and S.E. Webb, 2001