Ctenucha brunnea

Ctenucha brunnea
Scientific classification Edit this 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]

  1. ^ Savela, Markku. "Ctenucha brunnea Stretch, 1872". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  2. ^ "930438.00 – 8265 – Ctenucha brunnea – Brown Ctenucha Moth – Stretch, 1872". North American Moth Photographers Group. Mississippi State University. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Will, Kip; Gross, Joyce; Rubinoff, Daniel; Powell, Jerry A. (2020). Field Guide to California Insects. Oakland, California: University of California Press. pp. 382–383. ISBN 9780520288744.
  4. ^ a b Essig, E.O. (1915). "The Brown Ctenucha". Journal of Entomology and Zoology. 7 (4): 241–245. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  5. ^ Heiman, Maury J. (June 17, 2018). "Species Ctenucha brunnea - Brown Ctenucha - Hodges#8265". BugGuide. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  6. ^ Comstock, John A.; Dammers, Charles M. (1941). "Contributions from the Los Angeles Museum - Channel Islands Biological Survey -- 19. Ctenucha brunnea Stretch, on Santa Rosa Island". Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences. 40 (1): 11–12. doi:10.3160/0038-3872-40.1.11 (inactive 1 November 2024).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)