Oidaematophorus mathewianus
Encyclopedia
Oidaematophorus mathewianus is a moth
of the Pterophoridae family. It is found in southern Canada
and the western part of the United States
, eastward in the north to Maine
.
The wingspan
is about 24 mm. The head is brownish grey and the antennae are dust grey, faintly annulated on the basal third with whitish. The thorax and abdomen are whitish grey. The forewings are very pale brownish grey, with a brownish spot before the fissue. The hindwings are of the same colour as the forewings.
The larvae feed on Vernonia noveboracensis
. Young larvae are dingy white, with a tinge of green. Later instars are pale glaucous to dull salmon. Pupation takes place in a pupa with variable colours and markings. In the spring brood, it is commonly dull green, with indistinct lateral yellow stripes. In the fall brood, the dorsum is pale yellow or flesh color, with two fine, indistinct, medio-dorsal lines of lilac color. The pupa is quite active and irritable, striking about in all directions when meddled with.
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 Pterophoridae family. It is found in southern 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...
and the western part of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, eastward in the north to Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
.
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 24 mm. The head is brownish grey and the antennae are dust grey, faintly annulated on the basal third with whitish. The thorax and abdomen are whitish grey. The forewings are very pale brownish grey, with a brownish spot before the fissue. The hindwings are of the same colour as the forewings.
The larvae feed on Vernonia noveboracensis
Vernonia noveboracensis
Vernonia noveboracensis is a plant in the daisy family, Asteraceae. It is native to the eastern United States, from Florida to Massachusetts and west to Tennessee, Alabama, and West Virginia....
. Young larvae are dingy white, with a tinge of green. Later instars are pale glaucous to dull salmon. Pupation takes place in a pupa with variable colours and markings. In the spring brood, it is commonly dull green, with indistinct lateral yellow stripes. In the fall brood, the dorsum is pale yellow or flesh color, with two fine, indistinct, medio-dorsal lines of lilac color. The pupa is quite active and irritable, striking about in all directions when meddled with.