Species Arugisa lutea - Common Arugisa - Hodges#8509

8509

Arugisa lutea (Smith, 1900)

syn: Arugisa latiorella of authors, (not Walker, 1863) [8509] (1)

Phylogenetic sequence # 930634

Three Arugisa species occur in America north of Mexico.(2)

wingspan about 17 mm, based on photo by Jim Vargo at MPG

Adult: FW light brownish-yellow with irregular, dark brown/gray traverse lines ● labial palps are thick, projecting upward at a steep angle ● dark blotch over middle of AM line ● reniform and orbicular spots represented by black dots ● PM line overlaid with black dots or sometimes broken into separate black dots ● dark shading along inside edge of subterminal line ● HW brownish-gray with thin dark terminal line

Maryland and Virginia to Florida, west to Texas and Missouri. (3), (4)

adults fly from May to October - or all year except December in Florida

larvae feed on living and dead grasses

Arugisa lutea  (Smith, 1900) is now the valid name for the common, golden-colored species, formerly known as A. latiorella.

Watson's Arugisa (Arugisa latiorella) is similar but forewing has less dark shading inside subterminal line, and PM line is more continuous, with less noticeable black dots along its length. The labial palps of A. lutea are thick and project upward at a steep angle, whereas the palps of A. latiorella, are more slender and project forward almost horizontally, but these differences can only be seen in a close-up lateral view (see diagrams in PDF document linked to in Internet References section below)

Moth Photographers Group

adult images and larval foodplants (Larry Line, Maryland)