Spotted Straw Moth Heliocheilus turbata (Walker, 1858)    Synonyms: Hodges #11073, Purple-top Sun Moth, Purpletop Sun Moth.
Kingdom Animalia   >   Phylum Arthropoda   >   Class Insecta   >   Order Lepidoptera   >   Family Noctuidae   >   Genus Heliocheilus   

Status:

"This moth is expanding its range northward. In 1954 the moth was not known to occur north of the Carolinas. It's now common and widespread in southern New Jersey." (BugGuide)

Relationships:

Favors Purpletop Tridens as a larval host.

There are 3 records in the project database.

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A Spotted Straw Moth in Prince George's Co., Maryland (7/11/2004). Specimen provided by Bob Patterson. Photo by Larry Line. (MBP list)

A Spotted Straw Moth in Prince George's Co., Maryland (7/11/2004). Specimen provided by Bob Patterson. Photo by Larry Line. (MBP list)

A Spotted Straw Moth caterpillar on host plant Purpletop Tridens in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (9/30/2017). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

A Spotted Straw Moth caterpillar in Calvert Co., Maryland (8/11/2019). Photo by Ben Springer. (MBP list)


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