Unknown Lepidoptera larva eating Dogfennel (Eupatorium capillifolium) - Estigmene acrea

HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp

Clickable Guide

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Registration is open for the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29

Previous events

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData

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) » Spilosomina » Estigmene » Salt Marsh Moth - Hodges#8131 (Estigmene acrea)

Photo#2129146

Copyright © 2022 Fitz O.Clarke, Jr.

Unknown Lepidoptera larva eating Dogfennel (Eupatorium capillifolium) - Estigmene acrea

Skidaway Island, Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia, USA
June 12, 2022
Size: app 2.5 cm

This Lepidoptera larva was feeding upon the long thin leaves of Dogfennel (Eupatorium capillifolium) of the Asteraceae family at 9:34 am. This is the first larva I have ever observed on this plant, and is the only larva I located within this .5-acre plot?
. My research has determined ..." Dogfennel attracts bees and wasps and is eaten by Florida's scarlet-bodied wasp moth (Cosmosoma myrodora)." This scarlet-bodied wasp moth is alleged to extract toxins known as "pyrrolizidine alkaloids" from Dogfennel Eupatorium (Eupatorium capillifolium) and showers these toxins over the female prior to mating. The adult Monarch and Queen butterfly, same genus, Danaus, also extract "pyrrolizidine alkaloids" from Dogfennel and use them in the manufactory of pheromones to attract the female of the species.
Please ID my submission?

Images of this individual: tag all

Unknown Lepidoptera larva eating Dogfennel (Eupatorium capillifolium) - Estigmene acrea

tag · login or register to post comments

Contributed by Fitz O.Clarke, Jr. on 13 June, 2022 - 11:30am
Last updated 14 June, 2022 - 2:13am

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… George Smiley, 14 June, 2022 - 2:13am

George- I appreciate your ide

George- I appreciate your identification of the species Salt Marsh Moth (Estigmine acrea)

… Fitz O.Clarke, Jr., 14 June, 2022 - 5:44am

This is not . . .

. . . a positive ID, but here's a possible candidate: http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/species.php?hodges=8131

… L. Wayne Thompson, 13 June, 2022 - 1:32pm

L Wayne-many thanks for your

L Wayne-many thanks for your kind guidance to..." a possible candidate, the Salt Marsh Moth (Estigmene acrea).

That was my first choice, possibly an intermediate stage. I just read "Native host include Dogfennel". Each day I learn more, hopefully to fill the gray matter void that I now, age 81, seem suffer! Additionally I daily carry my iPhone with me, what a wonderful resource!

I appreciate your "Contributor" status!!!

… Fitz O.Clarke, Jr., 13 June, 2022 - 2:32pm

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Printer Friendly Version