Grammia incorrupta

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Grammia incorrupta
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Subfamily: Arctiinae
Genus: Grammia
Species:
G. incorrupta
Binomial name
Grammia incorrupta
(H. Edwards, 1881)
Synonyms
  • Arctia incorruptaH. Edwards, 1881
  • Arctia nevadensis var. sulphuricaNeumoegen, 1885
  • Arctia ochraceaNeumoegen, 1883 (preocc. Stretch, 1872)
  • Grammia geneura

Grammia incorrupta is an arctiine moth in the family Erebidae, [1] described by Henry Edwards in 1881. It is found from southern Colorado and south-eastern Kansas south through Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas into Mexico and west to south-eastern California. The habitat consists of grasslands and open woodlands.

The length of the forewings is about 18.6 mm. The hindwings are pink to yellowish pink. There are two generations per year with adults on wing from late April to early October. [2]

The larvae feed on a wide range of herbaceous, flowering plants, including Fallugia paradoxa . [3] [4]

Recent research [5] has shown that the larvae of Grammia incorrupta consume alkaloid-laden leaves that help fight off internal parasitic fly larvae. This phenomenon is said to be "the first clear demonstration of self-medication among insects".

Related Research Articles

Noctuidae Type of moths commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms

The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other families of the Noctuoidea. It was considered the largest family in Lepidoptera for a long time, but after regrouping Lymantriinae, Catocalinae and Calpinae within the family Erebidae, the latter holds this title now. Currently, Noctuidae is the second largest family in Noctuoidea, with about 1,089 genera and 11,772 species. However, this classification is still contingent, as more changes continue to appear between Noctuidae and Erebidae.

Arctiinae Subfamily of moths

The Arctiinae are a large and diverse subfamily of moths, with around 11,000 species found all over the world, including 6,000 neotropical species. This group includes the groups commonly known as tiger moths, which usually have bright colours, footmen, which are usually much drabber, lichen moths, and wasp moths. Many species have "hairy" caterpillars that are popularly known as woolly bears or woolly worms. The scientific name of this subfamily refers to this hairiness. Some species within the Arctiinae have the word tussock in their common name due to people misidentifying them as members of the Lymantriinae based on the characteristics of the larvae.

<i>Pyrrharctia isabella</i> Species of insect

Pyrrharctia isabella, the isabella tiger moth, banded woolly bear or just woollybear or woolly worm, occurs in the United States and southern Canada. It was first formally named by James Edward Smith in 1797.

Grammia virgo, the virgin tiger moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found in North America from Newfoundland south to Florida west to Alberta.

Grammia behrii is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Stretch in 1872. It is found from Oregon south to California. It is most common in the Siskiyou and Sierra Nevada ranges. The habitat consists of dry lithosol flood plains and balds in the mountains.

Grammia blakei, or Blake's tiger moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1864. It is found on the North American Great Plains, from the southern prairie provinces of Canada south to US states of Texas and western Colorado. The habitat consists of sandy prairie, including overgrazed native pastures.

Grammia bowmani is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Douglas C. Ferguson and B. Christian Schmidt in 2007. It is found in the United States in western Colorado and southeastern Utah. It occurs at elevations between 1,520 and 2,130 meters.

Grammia brillians is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Schmidt in 2009. It is found in Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah.

Grammia complicata is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Francis Walker in 1865. It is found on south-eastern Vancouver Island and several Gulf Islands of British Columbia and Washington. The habitat consists of dry Garry oak meadows and sandy beaches.

Grammia elongata is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Stretch in 1885. It is found in south-western British Columbia and west-central Alberta, south to Montana and Washington. It has also been recorded from north-eastern Oregon. The habitat consists of dry, montane, and subalpine meadows.

Grammia favorita is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Neumögen in 1890. It is found in the Sand Hills of Nebraska, Nevada and north-eastern Colorado. The habitat consists of prairie sand dunes.

<i>Grammia figurata</i> Species of moth

Grammia figurata, the figured tiger moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Dru Drury in 1773. It is found in North America from southern Ontario and New Hampshire south to Georgia and west to Colorado and Texas.

Grammia f-pallida is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Strecker in 1878. It is found from south-eastern Utah and Colorado south to eastern Arizona, New Mexico and eastern Texas. It has also been recorded from west-central Nevada, and probably also occurs in Mexico.

<i>Grammia ornata</i> Species of moth

Grammia ornata, the ornate tiger moth or achaia moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Alpheus Spring Packard in 1864. It is found in western North America from southern British Columbia through the Pacific Northwest to southern California, northern Utah, and western Wyoming and Montana. It is found in a wide range of habitats, including open woodland.

<i>Grammia phyllira</i> Species of moth

Grammia phyllira, the phyllira tiger moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Dru Drury in 1773. It is found in North America from Quebec and New England south to Florida and west to Texas, Colorado and Alberta. The habitat consists of dry, open woodland and grassland. The species is listed as endangered in Connecticut.

Grammia placentia, the placentia tiger moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by James Edward Smith in 1797. It is found in the south-eastern United States, from New Jersey to Florida. The habitat consists of dry, sandy open wooded areas, primarily pine barrens.

Grammia speciosa is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Möschler in 1864. It is found from Labrador west to British Columbia and Alaska. The habitat consists of wetlands, bogs and sub-Arctic tundra. The species is listed as endangered in Connecticut.

Grammia ursina is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Schmidt in 2009. It is found on the Channel Islands off the coast of southern California and in mainland south-western California from Kern County south to San Diego County. It is probably also present in Baja California.

Grammia virguncula, the little virgin tiger moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by W. Kirby in 1837. It is found across most of southern Canada and the United States, from the Rocky Mountains eastward. In the north, the range extends to northern Alberta and Newfoundland. In the south, it occurs along the Rocky Mountain to Apache County in Arizona and New Jersey in the east. It occurs in a variety of open wooded habitats, ranging from marshes, fens and bogs to transition parkland and prairie.

Grammia williamsii, or Williams' tiger moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Charles R. Dodge in 1871. It is found in North America from the Northwest Territories east to the northern Great Lakes region, New Brunswick and New England. It also occurs throughout the northern Great Plains, south at higher elevations to Arizona and New Mexico, west to south-eastern British Columbia and eastern California.

References

  1. Schmidt, B. Christian (2008). "Widespread decoupling of mtDNA variation and species integrity in Grammia tiger moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)". Systematic Entomology. 33: 613–634. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.2008.00433.x.
  2. Schmidt, B.C. (2009). "Taxonomic revision of the genus Grammia Rambur (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Arctiinae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 156: 507–597. doi: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00496.x .
  3. BugGuide
  4. Singer, M. (2001). "How foraging tactics determine host-plant use by a polyphagous caterpillar". Oecologia. 129: 98–105. doi:10.1007/s004420100707.
  5. Singer, MS; Mace, KC; Bernays, EA (2009). "Self-Medication as Adaptive Plasticity: Increased Ingestion of Plant Toxins by Parasitized Caterpillars". PLoS ONE. 4: e4796. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0004796. PMC   2652102 . PMID   19274098.