Apatelodes pudefacta

a Baccharis-feeding silk moth, Apatelodes pudefacta, photo © by M. Plagens

Observed at lights set in Madera Canyon, Sta. Cruz Co., Arizona, USA. 28 July 2013. Wingspan is about 35 mm.

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The vast majority of moths found in Arizona's sycamore canyons have no common names. Most are never seen by casual hikers because they are so exquisitely patterned to be camouflaged by day when resting. This one looks so much like a flake of sycamore bark which very often peels and curls the same way. Nocturnal, flying at night and only in the canyons of southeastern Arizona, and, apparently, nowhere else in the USA. The title name is one I made up based on the host plant choice of the immature larva, Baccharis.

Saturniidae -- Silk Moth Family

More Information:

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Arizona Naturalist
Sycamore Canyons
Invertebrates in Arizona's Sycamore Canyons


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Copyright Michael J. Plagens, page created 8 August 2014