Monday, November 02, 2009

Burdock Borer Moth (Papaipema cataphracta)




Location/Date: Under our porch light on 10/21/09.

Size: Wingspan 29-45 mm

Range: Quebec and Maine to Florida, west to Louisiana, north to Saskatchewan.


Season: Adults fly from August to October.

Food: Larvae bore in rhizomes and stems of aster, burdock, corn, cottonwood, iris, lily, sunflower, thistle, tomato, and other plants.

Source: BugGuide

Image of larva in inside stem available on Forestry Images.



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6 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

What a handsome moth. Great photo.

Shelly Cox said...

I've never seen this species before, they are very pretty in their drab colors.

Lana Gramlich said...

For some reason, it makes me think of wallpaper...

Beth W. said...

Brings to mind a pharaoh's court attendant, dusted with gold leaf. Beautiful.

SAPhotographs (Joan) said...

I can see that this would be almost invisible on things like asters. It looks like gold in the wings.

Texas Travelers said...

Great pattern.