MORBID OWLET
Chytolita morbidalis
OWLET MOTHS (Erebidae)
Description
The Morbid Owlet has a wingspan of about 1.25 inches. The forewing is pale gray with a brown, wavy antemedian line and a bulging postmedian line. The subterminal line is accented with a row of outward-pointing brown wedges. The hindwing is paler with faint grayish veins. It has long labial palps (photo B). The larva is brown with reddish reticulate patterning. The head is black.
Occurrence
The frequency of occurrence is not known, but it is common in its North American range. It has been photographed in Fontenelle Forest in early June 2013. Adults visit artificial lights.
Comments
This species is in the Litter Moth subfamily (Herminiinae). In 2013 a look-alike owlet moth, the Stone-winged Owlet (C. petrealis) was reclassified as Morbid Owlet. As a result there is now only one species in the genus Chytolita. The host food for this species is dead leaves of deciduous trees. The species overwinters as a larva.
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is: Babs Padelford.
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