Species Macaria graphidaria - Hodges#6311

6311

Macaria graphidaria (Hulst, 1887)

Semiothisa graphidaria Hulst, 1887

Formerly in Speranza. Sihvonen & Skou (2015:142) treats Speranza as a synonym of Macaria following Krüger (2001) and Scoble & Krüger 2002), reversing Ferguson (2008). (1)

Forewing length is

10-13 mm in males

11-13 mm in females

with the winter and early spring individuals being slightly larger than summer specimens. (2)

Adult: forewing white with black discal dot, complete AM and PM lines, and partial median line; PM line turns abruptly basad before reaching costa; blackish patch near middle of subterminal area; amount of reddish-brown shading in subterminal area varies from extensive to almost none; hindwing pale yellowish with black discal dot and light gray speckling and shading

Genitalia:

Known from only southern Texas with Kimble County being the northern limit and Big Bend National Park of western Texas (2)

Type locality: TX (2)

mesquite-oak savanna (2)

adults fly year round in south Texas (2)

larvae have been found on Bumelia celastrina and reared on Condalia hookeri

Macaria deceptrix has less contrasting black and white forewing, less yellowish-brown tint of hindwing and less contrasting blackish-marked subterminal band on underside of hindwing. (2)

Ferguson, D.C., 2008. The Moths of North America, Fascicle 17.2. The Wedge Entomological Research Foundation, p. 149-152; pl. 3.40-41. (2)

Moth Photographers Group (3)

The Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) (4)