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Photo#758431
Red & White Moth on Desert Sunflower - Noctueliopsis aridalis

Red & White Moth on Desert Sunflower - Noctueliopsis aridalis
Amboy Crater, San Bernardino County, California, USA
March 26, 2013
Found at mid-morning on flowers of Desert Gold (Geraea canescens) in creosote bush scrub habitat of the Mojave Desert.

I believe this is Noctueliopsis aridalus, and that the bold red & white color form here indicates this is a male, as shown in this CalPhotos reference image (which is simply a larger version of the small image of a male appearing as Plate 22.2 in Powell & Opler(1)).

I also found what I think were a male/female pair of the same species about an hour later and a 1/4 mile away, again on flowers of Geraea canescens, see the post below:



The new book(2) by BugGuide contributors Lynn & Gene Monroe has an image (on pg. 371) of N. aridalus on a flower head of Geraea canescens as well. Powell & Opler(1) state that the life history of this moth is evidently not known. These images and the Monroe's suggest a possible affinity for Geraea canescens.

Images of this individual: tag all
Red & White Moth on Desert Sunflower - Noctueliopsis aridalis Red & White Moth on Desert Sunflower - Noctueliopsis aridalis Red & White Moth on Desert Sunflower - Noctueliopsis aridalis

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