Leptarctia californiae
| Leptarctia californiae | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Arctiidae |
| Genus: | Leptarctia |
| Species: | L. californiae |
| Binomial name | |
| Leptarctia californiae (Walker, 1855) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Leptarctia californiae is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It was described by Walker in 1855. It is found in western North America, from New Mexico and Colorado to California and north to British Columbia.[1] The habitat consists of open forests, meadows and clearings in the mountains.
The length of the forewings is 12–17 mm. The forewings are dark grey with darker grey transverse lines and variable amounts of lighter cream patches. The hindwing are variable, but usually bright orange. Other variants range from nearly white to deep red or entirely black. Adults are on wing in spring with most records from March to July.
The larvae feed on various herbaceous plants.[2]
Forms
There are two described forms:
- Leptarctia californiae f. decia Boisduval, 1869
- Leptarctia californiae f. dimidiata Stretch, 1872
References
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