Species Leptostales crossii - Cross's Wave Moth - Hodges#7174

7174

wingspan about 13-14 mm, based on photos by Jim Vargo at MPG

Adult: forewing variably orangish-brown to purplish, with yellow strip along costa; 3 wavy yellow lines, sometimes broken or indistinct, in AM, median, and PM areas; note that lines are paler than ground color of wing; terminal line a series of yellow dots; hindwing has similar color and pattern

southeastern United States: North Carolina to Florida, west to Texas

Leptostales pannaria is similar but wings usually have one or more of these attributes: more brown (less purplish), more uniformly colored, less extensive yellow along costa, less conspicuous terminal line, and other lines crossing the wing are often darker than the ground color (rather than paler than ground color, as in crossii); compare images of both species and other related species in MPG links below

Moth Photographers Group (MPG)

Barcode of Life (BOLD)

live adult image by Randy Newman (North Carolina State Park System)

distribution list of border states (Dalton State College, Georgia)

presence in Florida; list (John Heppner, Florida State Collection of Arthropods)