Heliocheilus lupatus, the purple topper, lupatus straw moth or spotted straw moth, is a moth in the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1875. It is found in the United States from Kentucky and central Connecticut south (through Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina) to Florida and Texas.
| Heliocheilus lupatus | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Noctuidae |
| Genus: | Heliocheilus |
| Species: | H. lupatus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Heliocheilus lupatus (Grote, 1875)
| |
It was formerly considered to be a synonym of Heliocheilus turbata.
The wingspan is about 28 mm. There is one generation per year.
The larvae feed on various grasses.
References
edit- "932056.00 – 11073.1 – Heliocheilus lupatus – Lupatus Straw Moth – (Grote, 1875)". North American Moth Photographers Group. Mississippi State University. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- Balaban, John and Jane (August 28, 2017). "Species Heliocheilus lupatus - Spotted Straw Moth - Hodges#11073.1". BugGuide. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- Wagner, David L.; Schweitzer, Dale F.; Sullivan, J. Bolling & Reardon, Richard C. (2011). Owlet Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691150420.
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