Copablepharon viridisparsa
Encyclopedia
Copablepharon viridisparsa is a moth
of the Noctuidae
family. It is found from southern California
and southern Utah
north to southern British Columbia
, central Saskatchewan
and south-western Manitoba
.
The wingspan
is 38-42 mm. Adults are on wing from June to August depending on the location.
The moths emerge from the pupae with the eggs nearly fully developed, and they are laid within a week or two. Eggs are laid in loose soil in mid-summer, and the larvae hibernate when partly grown, completing development the following spring. The larvae can bury themselves very rapidly if uncovered. They feed above ground at night and bury themselves about 2.5 cm deep in the soil under the host plants during the day.
Pupation occurs in an earthen cell about five cm deep in the soil. Adults emerge after three to four weeks.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Noctuidae
Noctuidae
The Noctuidae or owlet moths are a family of robustly-built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera. They constitute the largest family in the Lepidoptera....
family. It is found from southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and southern Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
north to southern British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, central Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
and south-western Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 38-42 mm. Adults are on wing from June to August depending on the location.
The moths emerge from the pupae with the eggs nearly fully developed, and they are laid within a week or two. Eggs are laid in loose soil in mid-summer, and the larvae hibernate when partly grown, completing development the following spring. The larvae can bury themselves very rapidly if uncovered. They feed above ground at night and bury themselves about 2.5 cm deep in the soil under the host plants during the day.
Pupation occurs in an earthen cell about five cm deep in the soil. Adults emerge after three to four weeks.
Subspecies
- Copablepharon viridisparsa viridisparsa Dod, 1916
- Copablepharon viridisparsa hopfingeri (Franclemont, 1954)
- Copablepharon viridisparsa gilvum Crabo & Lafontaine, 2004
- Copablepharon viridisparsa ravum Crabo & Lafontaine, 2004