Species Virbia ferruginosa - Rusty Virbia - Hodges#8123

8123

Virbia ferruginosa (Walker, 1854)

Crocota ferruginosa Walker, 1854

Crocota quinaria Grote, 1863

Crocota trimaculosa Reakirt, 1864

Holomelina buchholzi (Wyatt, 1863)

Phylogentic sequence # 930306

There are 14 named species of Virbia in America north of Mexico. (1)

Wingspan about 24 mm.

Easily confused with Virbia aurantiaca. The subterminal hindwing band of V. aurantiaca is solid, whereas the subterminal area of V. ferruginosa has a series of blotches and spots, not a solid band, according to this revision of the genus. This presumably applies to males only, since the revision shows images of females of both species with black splotches rather than a solid band on the hindwings. There are also forms of V. ferruginosa that lack the black markings on the hindwings altogether and could be confused with V. immaculata, but V. immaculata is smaller and generally emerges in June and August in the Northeast (sometimes very late July), while V. ferruginosa emerges mostly in July (sometimes very late June)

Late June to July [cite:1187786]

Larvae have been reared on Taraxacum (dandelion)