Rachiplusia ou

(Redirected from Gray Looper Moth)

Rachiplusia ou, commonly known as the gray looper moth, is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Achille Guenée in 1852.[1] It is found in the southern and eastern parts of the United States, Montana, Nova Scotia, from Mexico to Venezuela to Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.[2][3]

Rachiplusia ou
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Rachiplusia
Species:
R. ou
Binomial name
Rachiplusia ou
(Guenée, 1852)
Synonyms
  • Plusia ou Guenée, 1852
  • Plusia fratella Grote, 1874
  • Plusia pedalis Grote, 1875
  • Plusia tenaculum Guenée, 1852

The wingspan is 31–41 mm. Adults are on wing from May to October or year round in the southern states.

The larvae feed on various herbaceous plants, including Chenopodium ambrosioides, Nicotiana tabacum, Trifolium, Mentha, Triticum aestivum and Tropaeolum.

References

edit
  1. ^ Barnes, Matthew J. C. (2002). "Rachiplusia ou". Moths of the Grenadines. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  2. ^ Cotinis (March 2, 2013). "Species Rachiplusia ou - Gray Looper Moth - Hodges#8895". BugGuide. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  3. ^ Pogue, Michael G. (2005). "The Plusiinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) of Great Smoky Mountains National Park" (PDF). Zootaxa. 1032: 1–28.