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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Hooktip and False Owlet Moths (Drepanoidea) » Hooktip and False Owlet Moths (Drepanidae) » Hooktip Moths (Drepaninae) » Drepana » Arched Hooktip - Hodges#6251 (Drepana arcuata)

Species Drepana arcuata - Arched Hooktip - Hodges#6251

Classification · Hodges Number · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Size · Identification · Range · Season · Food · Life Cycle · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Drepana arcuata Arched Hooktip - Drepana arcuata Drepana arcuata Arched Hooktip - Drepana arcuata Drepana arcuata Drepana arcuata Moth to porch light - Drepana arcuata Lépidoptère - Drepana arcuata
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 Drepanoidea (Hooktip and False Owlet Moths)
Family Drepanidae (Hooktip and False Owlet Moths)
Subfamily Drepaninae (Hooktip Moths)
Genus Drepana
Species arcuata (Arched Hooktip - Hodges#6251)
Hodges Number
6251
Other Common Names
masked birch caterpillar
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Drepana arcuata Walker, 1855
Drepana fabula (Grote, 1862)
Drepana genicula (Grote, 1862)
Drepana grotei Barnes & Benjamin, 1922
Drepana arcuata siculifer Packard, 1872
Drepana arcuata alaskensis Barnes & Benjamin, 1922
Phylogenetic Sequence # 850019
Size
forewing length 1.5 - 2.1 cm (1)
Identification
Adult - yellow tan or pale tan with thin wavey lines. Easily distinguished by their sharp falcate forewing apexes (1)


Larvae - green with mottled brown, purple and black on the dorsum. There are paired prominent dorsal bumps or verrucae on the second thoratic through second abdominal segments. The head is whitish with two brown purple bands. The last abdominal segment is acuminate with a short dorsal horn and is held in an elevated position while at rest (1)
Range
widespread across temperate North America from southern Alaska east across Canada to Newfoundland and south to northern California, Colorado, Texas, and the southeast (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)
Season
Adults fly from May to August (mainly June to July) (1)
Food
larva feed on alders, Alnus rubra and Alnus viridis var. sinuata (Betulaceae) (1)
Life Cycle
Larvae live in silk-lined shelters on leaves that have the edged folded up. When disturbed they are said to make a faint tapping noise that may serve to space out competing individuals. Pupation is within the folded leaf in a tough, pale brown cocoon (1)
See Also
Oreta rosea - Rose Hooktip

Some of the Geometrid Moths may look very similar. Double-check the position on the discal spots and the shape of the lines.
Eutrapela clemataria - Curve-toothed Geometer          Patalene olyzonaria - Juniper-twig Geometer          Prochoerodes lineola - Large Maple Spanworm

Some of the members of family Eribidae may also be confused. Double-check the shape of the wings.
Anticarsia gemmatalis - Velvetbean Caterpillar Moth
Print References
Covell, Field Guide to Eastern Moths, p. 343, plate 46 #2 (7)
Internet References
Wikipedia
Moth Photographers Group - range map, photos of living and pinned adults.
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD)
Pacific Northwest Moths
Butterflies and Moths of North America
iNaturalist
Works Cited
1.Moths of Western North America
Powell and Opler. 2009. UC Press.
2.North American Moth Photographers Group
3.BOLD: The Barcode of Life Data Systems
4.Hooktip with eggs?
5.Wikipedia
6.Pacific Northwest Moths
7.Peterson Field Guides: Eastern Moths
Charles V. Covell. 1984. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, John Davis, Maury Heiman, Chris Mallory, marcie oconnor, Randy Hardy, Robert H. Biagi
Last updated 2 April, 2024 - 3:15pm

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