Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Schinia felicitata (Smith, 1894)
Alaria felicitata Smith 1894
Chlorocleptria imperialis Barnes and McDunnough 1911
Schinia felicitata Hardwick 1958
Identification
Upper side of forewing pastel pink, with tawny-yellow band along terminal edge; head pink; thorax and abdomen tawny-yellow above; upper side of hindwing dark (smoky grey-black).
Range
s CA through s NV, to sw UT and w AZ.
(1)Habitat
Desert dunes, or other sandy areas where host plant grows.
(1)Food
Larval host plant is the desert bird-cage evening primrose (
Oenothera deltoides).
Life Cycle
Larva feed on buds, blossoms, and seed capsules of
Oenothera deltoides and undergo five instars. See Hardwick
(1) for further details.
Remarks
The pink wings of
S. felicitata are thought to provide camoflage from predators when adults are resting on the host plant
(1). The flowers of the host
age to a pink color, and the
buds and
sepals are often reddish.
See Also
Schinia florida - upper hind wing white;
Schinia lynda - thought to be endemic to se OR, may be considered a darker subspecies of
S. felicitata upon revision of the genus.
Print References
Hardwick, D.F. (1967). The Life History of
Schinia felicitata (Noctuidae),
Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 21(1): 22-26.
(1)
Smith, J.B., 1894. Descriptions of new genera and species of Noctuidae.
Transactions of the American Entomological Society 21:
86.