Species Iridopsis defectaria - Brown-shaded Gray Moth - Hodges#6586

6586

Iridopsis defectaria (Guenée)

Orig. Comb: Boarmia defectaria Guenée, [1858](1)

Syn: Boarmia albigenaria Walker, 1860

There are more than twenty Iridopsis species found in America north of Mexico.

Forewing length 13-20 mm.(1)

Whitish gray wings with no trace of purple. Prominent warm brown shading on basal side of AM and distal side of PM. PM strongly concave near inner margin. A very distinctive feature is that there are two small indentations in the PM line where it bulges at wing cells Cu1 and Cu2. HW has elliptical hollow discal spot, touching PM. Females are without banding and are more speckled. (a)

e US (1) - Map (MPG)

yr round in Gulf states (BG & MPG data)

cherry, oaks, poplars, walnut, willows, and other woody plants.(2)

Larva; pupa; adult

common in c. TX (3)

Compare on the pinned plates of Moth Photographers Group. Iridopsis defectaria is not found in southern and western Texas. Where their ranges overlap, I. gemella, pseudoherse and boldly marked perfectaria cannot be separated from defectaria without examining the genitalia.

Rindge, 1966: 223. (1)

Moth Photographers Group - MPG(4)

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD)(5)