Species Colomychus talis - Distinguished Colomychus - Hodges#5200

5200

Colomychus talis (Grote, 1878). Taxonomic notes:

Species name talis is perhaps a variant of Latin talus, the heel (1). Alternatively, this may refer to a Jewish prayer shawl, a talis (tallis), also spelled tallit (speculation based on Internet searches).

One of two species in this genus in North America.

Wingspan about 20 mm

Adult: forewing dark purplish-red with two large irregular yellow patches - one ascending from midway along inner margin, the other descending from costa about two-thirds distance from base (patches almost meet near middle of wing); small spot of same color in AM area near costa; hindwing similarly colored, with one large irregular patch in median area, and small yellow spot near base; black terminal line and white fringe on all wings

Adults rest with forewings spread, revealing large portion of each hindwing

Southeastern United States: Virginia south into the neotropics.

Adults fly from April to September.

Climbing Dogbane (Thyrsanthella difformis) and perhaps other members of the Apocynaceae family.

Pickleworm Moth - Diaphania nitidalis, grayish-brown wings with a single pale yellow patch on the forewing

Borror, entries for tal, talus (1)

Moth Photographers Group (2)

The Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) (3)

presence in Oklahoma; PDF doc list (Checklist of Oklahoma Preserve Moth Species, The Nature Conservancy)