Other Common Names
referred to as Sharks in Europe
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Cucullia Schrank, 1802
Rancora and 17 other former genera were treated as junior synonyms of
Cucullia by Poole in 1989 and 1995 (
Brian Pitkin, Butterflies and Moths of the World)
Explanation of Names
Generic epithet
Cucullia is Latin meaning "hood."
(1) This refers to the projection of the thorax over the head:
Numbers
Lafontaine & Schmidt (2010) listed 36 species of the genus
Cucullia in America north of Mexico.
(2)Identification
Adult: mostly drab gray moths with some fine black streaking; forewing long and narrow; tuft of hairs projecting from thorax forms a large pointed hood over the head, giving adults a streamlined "aerodynamic" appearance (a distinctive feature)
Larva: usually smooth (hairless) and very colorful, with mixed patterns of spots, stripes, and/or patches of mostly yellow, red, green, blue, and black - the range of variation between species is too complex to describe in general terms
Range
all of North America except the arctic (AK, YT, NT, NU)
also occurs throughout Eurasia and northern Africa
Habitat
mainly coniferous and mixed forest
Season
adults spring through fall
Food
larvae feed on flowers of composite plants (family Asteraceae) and leaves of several trees - varies according to species
Remarks
majority of North American species occur in the west
