CLOAKED MARVEL

Chytonix palliatricula

OWLET MOTH FAMILY (Noctuidae)

The Cloaked Marvel has a wingspan of 1 to 1.25 inches.  The forewing is pale gray with dark brown markings in the northern dark form.  The one moth seen at Fontenelle Forest has a thick black bar in the inner median area that ends with a white dot.  Some individuals have a very large white patch in the inner median area.  The hindwing is plain gray-brown.  The caterpillar is brown and plump with a small light brown head with 2 black parallel bands and white antennae.  The body is covered with tiny white specks.  There is a broken, white mid-dorsal stripe.  It grows to about 1 inch.

The frequency of occurrence in this area is not known.  This moth was photographed at Fontenelle Forest Nature Center in late June 2015.  The moths fly from June to August.  They are attracted to lights and bait.

There is some confusion about the larval host food, but according to Dr. David L. Wagner (“Owlet Caterpillars of North America”) they eat a variety of gilled mushrooms.  The pupa overwinters in a cocoon in leaf litter.