Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Cisthene plumbea Stretch, 1885
* phylogenetic sequence #930184
Identification
Recognized by the flat medium gray ground color, extensive yellowish or orange streak along the costal margin, single PM spot on the inner FW margin, and lack of a corresponding spot on the costal margin. The amount of yellow/orange on the entire moth is extremely variable. Many/most examples in the eastern part of its range, named form "injecta" by Dyar (1904), have a completely orange head, thorax, and broad orange suffusion over 1/3 to 1/2 of the wings; the fundamental pattern is still recognizable.
Range
Eastern North America: southern New Jersey south to northern Florida, west to Wisconsin, Kansas, Oklahoma, and cen. Texas.
Habitat
Adults are associated with mixed mesophytic upland woodlands (oak-hickory)(Landau & Prowell 1999).
Season
June-September (2 broods)
See Also
Striated Lichen Moth of Florida and s. Georgia is similar but has blurry white streaking over much of the forewings. It is genetically very close to Lead-colored (Barcode of Life Data Systems) and may not be specifically distinct.
Print References
Brou Jr., V. A. 2004.
Cisthene plumbea in Louisiana. South. Lep. News 26:
7
Covell Jr., C. V. 1984. A field guide to the moths of eastern North America. p.61, pl.12, f.15
(1)
Landau, D., and D. Prowell. 1999. A partial checklist of moths from mixed mesophytic hardwood forests in Louisiana (Insecta: Lepidoptera). Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc., 125(1/2):139-150.
Sexton, C., and H. McGuinness. 2017. Identification of lichen moths in the genus Cisthene in the central and eastern U.S. South. Lep. News (39(4):309-322.
Wagner, D. L. 2005. Caterpillars of Eastern North America. p. 459
(2)Internet References
Discover Life - David L. Wagner photo of caterpillar