Acontia cretata

Chalky bird dropping moth
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Superfamily:	Noctuoidea
Family:	Noctuidae
Genus:	Acontia
Species:	A. cretata
Binomial name
Acontia cretata (Grote & Robinson, 1870)
Synonyms
Tarache cretataGrote & Robinson, 1870 Acontia neoculaSmith, 1900 Acontia schwarziiSmith, 1900 Tarache schvarziHampson, 1910

Acontia cretata, the chalky bird dropping moth, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote and Coleman Townsend Robinson in 1870. It is found from the US states of California to Texas and Oklahoma, north to Colorado and Utah.

The wingspan is 22–27 mm. Adults are on wing from April to September.

The larva has been recorded as a host of the parasitoid braconid wasp Bracon mellitor .^{[ citation needed ]}

Morphology

Acontia species are characterized by an elongated palpi having pointed frontal tuft, and a well developed third segment. Antennae are simple and filiform, having no complex modifications or branches. Both the thorax and abdomen are covered in smooth scales, lacking tufts or patches. The forewing is bordered with non-crenulate cilia, and plain unnotched fringe along the edges. In terms of venation, veins 7 to 10 are stalked. The larval stage is characterized by the presence of four pairs of abdominal prolegs. ^[1]

References

• McLeod, Robin (April 9, 2014). "Species Acontia cretata - Chalky Bird Dropping Moth - Hodges#9161". BugGuide. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
• "931375.00 – 9161 – Acontia cretata – Chalky Bird-dropping Moth – (Grote & Robinson, 1870)". North American Moth Photographers Group. Mississippi State University. Retrieved August 14, 2020.

1. Hampson, G.F. (1894). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma: Moths Volume II. Vol. Moths–II. Taylor and Francis.