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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) » Arctiina » Apantesis » Banded Tiger Moth - Hodges#8170 (Apantesis vittata)

Species Apantesis vittata - Banded Tiger Moth - Hodges#8170

Classification · Hodges Number · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Apantesis phalerata - Harnessed Tiger Moth ? - Apantesis vittata - male

Harnessed Tiger Moth - Hodges #8169 - Apantesis vittata - male

Banded or Harnessed Tiger Moth? - Apantesis vittata - male

Hodges #8170 - Banded Tiger Moth - Apantesis vittata - male

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 Arctiina

Genus Apantesis

Species vittata (Banded Tiger Moth - Hodges#8170)

Hodges Number

8170

Size

Wingspan 32-42 mm (1)

Identification

Adult: forewing similar to A. phalerata; hindwing usually has more reddish shading and broader, more solid black border; no form has entirely yellow hindwing

Also extremely similar to the Nais Tiger Moth, which replaces this species to the North and west of the Appalachian Mountains. In areas where both species could occur, dissection is recommended to distinguish between them.

Range

Texas to Florida, north along the Atlantic Coastal Plain to at least North Carolina; has not been recorded in Canada

Habitat

Near fields, lawns.

Season

Adults fly from March to October.

Food

Larvae feed on dandelions and other herbs.

See Also

Harnessed Tiger Moth (A. phalerata) forewing is virtually identical to A. vittata but hindwing is usually more yellowish than reddish, with little or no black edging.

Nais Tiger Moth cannot be reliably separated from this species without dissection, but their ranges have minimal overlap; nais is virtually absent from the Gulf Coast and Florida, and vittata does not occur in the Appalachians, or to the north and west of them.

Print References

Covell, p. 69, plate 15 #5, 7 (1)

Internet References

Moth Photographers Group (MPG)

Barcode of Life (BOLD)

Works Cited

1.	Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America Charles V. Covell, Jr. 2005.

Contributed by Cotinis on 30 January, 2005 - 2:02am
Additional contributions by Robin McLeod, anitagould, Jason D. Roberts, dennepj10, Steve Morris
Last updated 3 April, 2022 - 11:34pm

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