| Ctenucha brunnea | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Erebidae |
| Subfamily: | Arctiinae |
| Genus: | Ctenucha |
| Species: | C. brunnea |
| Binomial name | |
| Ctenucha brunnea Stretch, 1872 | |
Ctenucha brunnea, the brown ctenucha or brown-winged ctenucha, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Richard Harper Stretch in 1872. [1] It is a diurnal moth found in the US from central to southern coastal California. North of that, it is replaced by Ctenucha multifaria . [2] [3]
Adults' bodies are 20–26 millimetres (0.79–1.02 in) in length and blue, with red heads and shoulder markings. [3] The length of the forewings is 18–20 millimetres (0.71–0.79 in). Adults are on wing from mid May to mid July. They feed on the nectar of Heteromeles arbutifolia . [4]
Eggs are round and fade from white to yellow, and laid in rows. The larvae are black with buff-colored or yellow hairs, with two black tufts on the front and rear and an amber or orange head. [4] [3] They feed on Leymus condensatus and other grasses and sedges. [5] [3] The pupae are chestnut in color and wrapped loosely in a cocoon of the larval hairs. [6]