Gnophaela vermiculata
Encyclopedia
The Police-Car Moth or Green Lattice (Gnophaela vermiculata) is a moth
of the Arctiidae
family. It is found in the western parts of the United States
and south-western Canada
, from British Columbia
to California
, east to New Mexico
and north to Manitoba
.
The wingspan
is about 54 millimetres (2.1 in). Adults are on wing in late summer and fly during the day. There is one generation per year.
The larvae feed on Mertensia
, Lithospermum
and Hackelia
species. Adults feed on nectar of various herbaceous flowers, including Cirsium
and Solidago.
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 Arctiidae
Arctiidae
Arctiidae is a large and diverse family of moths with around 11,000 species found all over the world, including 6,000 neotropical species. This family includes the groups commonly known as tiger moths , which usually have bright colours, footmen , lichen moths and wasp moths...
family. It is found in the western parts of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and south-western Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, from 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...
to 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...
, east to New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and north to 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 about 54 millimetres (2.1 in). Adults are on wing in late summer and fly during the day. There is one generation per year.
The larvae feed on Mertensia
Mertensia
Mertensia is a genus of about 40 species of perennial herbaceous plants with bell-shaped blue flowers opening from pink-tinged buds. This is one of several plants commonly called bluebell.The genus is named after the German botanist Franz Carl Mertens....
, Lithospermum
Lithospermum
Lithospermum is a genus of plants belonging to the family Boraginaceae. Herbs or small shrubs, they are widely distributed except in Australasia...
and Hackelia
Hackelia
Hackelia is a genus of plants in the Borage Family, Boraginaceae. They are found in North America and southeast Asia. Of the approximately 40 species described, 10 are endemic to California....
species. Adults feed on nectar of various herbaceous flowers, including Cirsium
Cirsium
Cirsium is a genus of perennial and biennial flowering plants in the Asteraceae, one of several genera known commonly as thistles. They are more accurately known as Plume thistles. These differ from other thistle genera in having feathered hairs to their achenes...
and Solidago.