Species Gloveria gargamelle - Hodges#7695

7695

Gloveria gargamelle (Strecker, 1884)

Lasiocampa gargamelle Strecker, 1884

* phylogenetic sequence #223925

Named for the character from François Rabelais' Gargantua and Pantagruel. Gargamelle was the daughter of the king of the Parpaillons (butterflies, in some parts of France) and the mother of Gargantua.

Wingspan: ♀ 100 mm, ♂ 60 mm.

Forewing length: ♀ 3.5-4.3 cm, ♂ 2.8-2.9 cm. (1)

Adult - female forewing dark gray mixed with pale gray scales; AM and PM lines black, almost straight; subterminal line jagged, irregular; small white discal spot close to AM line; male forewing dark brown except for large pale gray patch in median area, extending to ST line; hindwing dark brown in both sexes, with male having pale gray PM band; fringe pale gray to whitish; male antennae pectinate; female antennae simple.

Central Arizona to western Texas. (1)

Adults fly from July to Oct.

Larvae feed on the leaves of several oaks. (1), (2)

Favored food plant in central New Mexico is Apache Plume - Fallugia paradoxa

Adult males fly late afternoon, females nocturnal. (1)

Type Locality: Arizona.

Franclemont, J.G. 1973. Moths of America North of Mexico, Fascicle 20.1: p.70, pl.7.7-12 (2)

Powell, J. A. & P. A. Opler 2009. Moths of Western North America. University of California Press. pl.34.3m, 34.4f, p.235 (1)

Strecker, F.H.H. 1885. Description of new species of North American Heterocera. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 36: 286

Moth Photographers Group - species page

pinned adult female and male and live larva images taken from this page (Bruce Walsh, Moths of Southeast Arizona)

presence in Utah; list (Joel Johnson, Utah Lepidopterists Society)

foodplant plus type specimen locality, distribution, references (Markku Savela, FUNET)