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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Owlet Moths and kin (Noctuoidea) » Prominent Moths (Notodontidae) » Phalerinae » Datana

Genus Datana

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Habitat · Food · Print References · Works Cited
datana sp. - Datana contracta Walnut Caterpillar Moth - Hodges#7907 - Datana integerrima Datana - Datana ministra Brown Headed tan moth - Datana Contracted Datana - Datana contracta Datana ranaeceps ? - Datana modesta Datana integerrima? - Datana integerrima Datana - Datana integerrima
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 Notodontidae (Prominent Moths)
Subfamily Phalerinae
Genus Datana
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Datana Walker, 1855
Explanation of Names
The names of at least three moth genera, Datana (Notodontidae), Nadata, (Notodontidae), and Natada (Limacodidae) are anagrams. These genera were named by Francis Walker in 1855, and perhaps only he knew which came first!
Numbers
Lafontaine & Schmidt (2010) listed 13 species of the genus Datana in America north of Mexico (1); other sources list 15 species.
Identification
Adults of Datana resemble a faded brown leaf, rolled up, with a fuzzy chesnut "head", actually the upper thorax. Wings have a weak pattern of lighter lines.
Habitat
Deciduous forests, woodlands, edges with deciduous shrubs
Food
Adult food unknown, perhaps do not feed.
Larvae feed on leaves of deciduous trees and shrubs and may be pests.


angusii - Angus's Datana Moth - eastern US - Hickory specialist
californica - Datana californica - northwestern US - apple, cherry, oak, and many other trees
cochise - Datana cochise - southeast Arizona - walnut specialist


contracta - Contracted Datana - eastern US - oak and chestnut
diffidens - Datana diffidens - south Texas - Live Oak



drexelii -Drexel's Datana - eastern US - Blueberry and witch-hazel, also sourwood



integerrima -Walnut Datana - eatern US - primarily walnut but also hickory and pecan



major -Azalea Datana - eastern US - mainly on leaves of azalea (Rhododendron spp.) and other Ericaceae


ministra -Yellow-Necked Datana - Eastern US - apple, oak, birch and willow trees and many others but primarily oak
modesta - Datana modesta - Florida to SC and LA - Blueberry (Vaccinium, Ericaceae)
neomexicana - Datana neomexicana - New Mexico, SW Colo and West Texas - likely an oak specialist


perfusa - Datana perfusa - Arizona - an oak specialist


perspicua -Spotted Datana - US except extreme northwest - Sumac (Rhus species, in the family Anacardiaceae) (2) but Charles has some from southern Arizona on Manzanita, Arctostaphylos


ranaeceps - Post-burn Datana - coast Miss to NJ - Staggerbush (Lyonia) and Deerberry
robusta - Datana robusta - coast NC to TX -
Print References
Covell, pp. 328-329, plate 39 (3)
Himmelman, p. 43, plates A-3, B-4 (4)
Wagner, p. 56: D. contracta, integerrima, drexelii caterpillars (5)
Works Cited
1.Annotated check list of the Noctuoidea (Insecta, Lepidoptera) of North America north of Mexico.
Donald J. Lafontaine, B. Christian Schmidt. 2010. ZooKeys 40: 1–239 .
2.HOSTS - The Hostplants and Caterpillars Database
3.Peterson Field Guides: Eastern Moths
Charles V. Covell. 1984. Houghton Mifflin Company.
4.Discovering Moths: Nighttime Jewels in Your Own Backyard
John Himmelman. 2002. Down East Books.
5.Caterpillars of Eastern Forests
David L. Wagner, Valerie Giles, Richard C. Reardon, Michael L. McManus. 1998. U.S. Dept of Agriculture, Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team.
Contributed by Cotinis on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by john and jane balaban, Beatriz Moisset, Lynette Elliott, Maury Heiman, Robert Lord Zimlich, KenW, dennepj10
Last updated 25 March, 2023 - 10:56am

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