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Species Marathyssa inficita - Dark Marathyssa - Hodges#8955

Representative Images

Dark Marathyssa - Marathyssa inficita Marathyssa - Marathyssa inficita moth - Marathyssa inficita Dark Marathyssa - Hodges#8955 - Marathyssa inficita Please help us to identify this moth. - Marathyssa inficita Dark Marathyssa Moth - Marathyssa inficita 3038961 sphinx? - Marathyssa inficita - female Marathyssa inficita
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Noctuoidea (Owlet Moths and kin)
Family Euteliidae
Subfamily Euteliinae
Genus Marathyssa
Species inficita (Dark Marathyssa - Hodges#8955)

Hodges Number

8955

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Marathyssa inficita (Walker, 1865)
Eutelia inficita Walker, 1865 (1)
Phylogenetic sequence # 931103

Numbers

Marathyssa includes three species in America north of Mexico. (2)

Size

wingspan 2.5-2.8 cm.

Identification

The forewings are blue-grey with dark streaking and maroon near the base and apex.
The maroon/reddish patch along costa near apex is not present in Marathyssa basalis

Range

Widespread in eastern North America, west across southern Canada to southern British Columbia

Food

larvae feed on Staghorn sumac (Rhus hirta), Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra), and Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans).

Life Cycle

1.mated pair 2.middle instar larva 3.final instar larva 4.adult

See Also

Marathyssa minus which is very similar and occurs from Texas to Arizona
Marathyssa basalis has dorsal tufts on abdomen, Forbes (1954) (3)

Print References

Powell, J.A. & P.A. Opler 2009. Moths of Western North America, pl. 46.1, p. 263. (4)
Walker, 1865: 818 (1)

Internet References

BOLD; BOLD:AAA8923
MPG

Works Cited

1.List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum
F. Walker. 1865. Vol 33-34.
2.Annotated check list of the Noctuoidea (Insecta, Lepidoptera) of North America north of Mexico.
Donald J. Lafontaine, B. Christian Schmidt. 2010. ZooKeys 40: 1–239 .
3.Lepidoptera of New York and Neighboring States, Part III [Noctuidae]
William T. M. Forbes . 1954. Cornell University. Agricultural Experiment Station Memoir: Number 329: 1-433.
4.Moths of Western North America
Powell and Opler. 2009. UC Press.
Contributed by john and jane balaban on 10 October, 2004 - 2:58pm
Additional contributions by Steve Nanz, Tony-2, Maury Heiman, marcie oconnor, Blocky
Last updated 29 September, 2025 - 9:01am

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