Eudryas unio
Encyclopedia
The Pearly Wood-Nymph is a species of moth
of the Noctuidae
family. It is found in most of the eastern United States
from central New Hampshire
and southern Ontario
, south to southern Florida
. In the west it ranges to the eastern Great Plains
, south to southern Texas
and Veracruz
along the eastern coast of Mexico
. There are isolated populations in central Utah
and California
. The California population might be considered a distinct subspecies or even species, brevipennis.
The wingspan
is 26-35 mm. Adults are on wing from May to August.
The larvae feed on Vitis
, Oenothera biennis
, Ludwigia
, Lythrum
, Decodon verticillatus
and Hibiscus
. The California population has been recorded from Epilobium ciliatum
and Oenothera
.
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 in most of the eastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from central New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
and southern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, south to southern Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. In the west it ranges to the eastern Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
, south to southern Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
along the eastern coast of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. There are isolated populations in central 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...
and 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...
. The California population might be considered a distinct subspecies or even species, brevipennis.
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 26-35 mm. Adults are on wing from May to August.
The larvae feed on Vitis
Vitis
Vitis is a genus of about 60 species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus is made up of species predominantly from the Northern hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, both for direct consumption of the fruit and for fermentation to produce...
, Oenothera biennis
Oenothera biennis
Oenothera biennis is a species of Oenothera native to eastern and central North America, from Newfoundland west to Alberta, southeast to Florida, and southwest to Texas, and widely naturalized elsewhere in temperate and subtropical regions.-Growth and flowering:Oenorthera biennis has a life span...
, Ludwigia
Ludwigia
Ludwigia is a genus of about 75 species of aquatic plants with a cosmopolitan but mainly tropical distribution.Selected species...
, Lythrum
Lythrum
Lythrum is a genus commonly known as loosestrife. It is one of 32 genera of the family Lythraceae.-Selected species:-Formerly placed here:*Cuphea carthagenensis J.F.Macbr....
, Decodon verticillatus
Decodon verticillatus
Decodon verticillatus, the sole species in the genus Decodon, is a flowering plant in the Lythraceae family. It is commonly known as waterwillow or swamp loosestrife. It is endemic to wetlands in the eastern half of the United States.-Description:Waterwillow is a clump-forming shrubby perennial...
and Hibiscus
Hibiscus
Hibiscus is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is quite large, containing several hundred species that are native to warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world...
. The California population has been recorded from Epilobium ciliatum
Epilobium ciliatum
Epilobium ciliatum is a species of willowherb known by the common names Fringed Willowherb and American Willowherb. This plant is found in many parts of the world. It is native to much of North America and eastern Asia, and it is an introduced species in much of Eurasia and Australia...
and Oenothera
Oenothera
Oenothera is a Genus of about 125 species of annual, biennial and perennial herbaceous flowering plants, native to North and South America. It is the type genus of the family Onagraceae, the Evening Primrose Family. Common names include evening-primrose, suncups, and sundrops.The species vary in...
.