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Species Metalectra discalis - Common Fungus Moth - Hodges#8499

Common Fungus Moth - Metalectra discalis Metalectra discalis - Hodges #8499 - Metalectra discalis common fungus moth - Metalectra discalis caterpillar - Metalectra discalis Moth - Metalectra discalis Metalectra discalis Metalectra discalis Fungus Moth? - Metalectra discalis
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 Boletobiinae
Tribe Boletobiini
Genus Metalectra
Species discalis (Common Fungus Moth - Hodges#8499)
Hodges Number
8499
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Metalectra discalis (Grote, 1876)
* phylogenetic sequence #930679
Size
wingspan 20-29 mm
Identification
Adult: forewing ground color pale yellowish but often obscured by extensive dark brown and black mottling; broad blackish band crosses wing in median area, obscuring black reniform spot; black orbicular dot usually more noticeable against paler band across wing just outside AM line; basal and AM lines scalloped, usually noticeable; reniform spot occupies basal portion of indistinct ring extending almost to PM line, and a dot similar in size and color to orbicular dot lies near distal margin of this ring; paler band crosses wing just inside PM line, which is an indistinct series of pale dots; terminal line a series of whitish dots adjacent to dark fringe; hindwing similarly colored but lacks basal and AM lines
a light form (apparently less common) has most of wing covered by pale yellowish ground color, contrasting against blackish band crossing wing in median area
Range
Quebec and Maine to Florida, west to Texas and Missouri, north to Ontario
Habitat
deciduous and mixed forests
Season
adults fly from June to August in the north; May to September in the south
Food
larvae feed on fungi
Life Cycle
Life Cycle images:
larva on mushroom, larva, pupa, adult, spent pupa in cocoon
See Also
Four-spotted Fungus Moth (Metalectra quadrisignata) wings less mottled, and covered extensively by medium grayish-brown ground color; diffuse blackish line runs through black reniform spot but there is no broad blackish band crossing wing in median area - as there is in M. discalis
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group - range map, photos of living and pinned adults.
BOLD - Barcode of Life Data Systems - species account with collection map and photos of pinned adults.
presence in Florida; list (John Heppner, Florida State Collection of Arthropods)
distribtuion in Canada Quebec and Ontario only (U. of Alberta, using CBIF data)