Euparthenos nubilis

Euparthenos nubilis
Upperside of imago (scale in centimeters)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Tribe: Omopterini
Genus: Euparthenos
Grote, 1876
Species: E. nubilis
Binomial name
Euparthenos nubilis
(Hübner, 1823)
Synonyms

See text

The Locust Underwing (Euparthenos nubilis) is a species of moth in the Erebidae family and the only member of its genus Euparthenos. The adults resemble some of the underwing moths of genus Catocala, which are fairly close relatives, in color, pattern, and the habit of resting on tree trunks. But E. nubilis can usually be immediately recognized by the 4 concentric black bands per hindwing, as opposed to one or two (at most 3) in Catocala. Color morphs of E. nubilis with altered pattern are known, however, and these may be hard to recognize without detailed examination.[1]

This moth has light grey forewings with a pattern of darker grey and brown lines and shading. The hindwings are yellow-orange with the aforementioned four black bands each. The wingspan is 56–70 mm (over 2 to almost 3 inches.[2]

The species is found from Maine, Ontario and Quebec, south to northern Florida, west to Nebraska and Arizona. Adults are on wing from April to September. There are two generations per year. The larvae feed on Robinia (locust tree) species, such as Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia). The adults like to drink the juice of fermenting fruit, and are attracted to lights.[2]

Systematics and taxonomy

Classification

The species and genus were previously classified in the Catocalinae subfamily of the Noctuidae family and in the Ophiusini tribe of the Erebidae family.[3]

Subspecies

The species has the following described subspecies.[4]

Synonyms

The junior synonyms of this moth are:[4]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Nelson & Loy (1983), and see references in Savela (2001)
  2. 1 2 BugGuide (2011)
  3. ↑ Wikispecies (2011-SEP-16), and see references in Savela (2001)
  4. 1 2 See references in Savela (2001)

References

Data related to Euparthenos at Wikispecies


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