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Species Ctenucha brunnea - Brown Ctenucha - Hodges#8265

Ah, a tarantula hawk, I told myself. Fooled me! - Ctenucha brunnea

colorful flying insect - Ctenucha brunnea

Coastal canyon of Orange County (southern) California - Ctenucha brunnea

Virginia Ctenucha in California? - Ctenucha brunnea

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 Ctenuchina

Genus Ctenucha

Species brunnea (Brown Ctenucha - Hodges#8265)

Hodges Number

8265

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Ctenucha brunnea Stretch, 1872

Explanation of Names

brunne is the Latin word for brown. (1)

Size

Forewing length 18-20 mm.(2)

Identification

Stretch (1872) original description and the Hampson (1898) description are both available online in the print references.

Forewings pale brown with black veins and blue spot at wing base, costa and fringe of outer margin is white.

Range

Coastal areas of central to southern California(3).

Specimens reported from Arizona and the Sierra Nevada may be misidentification according to McFarland.(2)

Moth Photographers Group - large map with some distribution data.

Habitat

Coastal

Season

Powell & Opler (2009) reported May through July.(2)

Moth Photographers Group displays records to September. (4)

Food

Adults are often found at flowers of Heteromeles arbutifolia (Lindl.) M. Roem. (toyon) (2)

The larvae feed on grass species including Leymus condensatus (J. Presl) Á. Löve (giant ryegrass). (2)

Remarks

The population is in steady decline. (2)

See Also

Ctenucha multifaria

Print References

Dyar, H.G., 1903, Bulletin of the United States National Museum. 52: 78.

Hampson. G.F., 1898. Catalogue of Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the British Museum. 529

Powell, J.A. & P.A., Opler 2009. Moths of Western North America. University of California Press, pl.49.5, p. 274. (2)

Stretch, R.H., 1872. Illustrations of the Zyaeniae & Bombyciae of North America. 30.

Internet References

Moth Photographers Group (4)

Moths of Orange County, California

The Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) (5)

Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA) (6)

Works Cited

1.	Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms Donald J. Borror. 1960. Mayfield Publishing Company.

2.	Moths of Western North America Powell and Opler. 2009. UC Press.

3.	Essig Museum of Entomology, California Moth Species List

4.	North American Moth Photographers Group

5.	BOLD: The Barcode of Life Data Systems

6.	Butterflies of North America

Contributed by Maury J. Heiman on 4 June, 2009 - 4:35pm
Last updated 17 June, 2018 - 12:34am

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