Leptarctia
Stretch, 1872
Species Guides
1- Leptarctia californiae(California Tiger Moth)
Leptarctia is a of tiger moths in the Erebidae. The genus was established by Stretch in 1872 and contains a single , Leptarctia californiae, described by Francis Walker in 1855. These are distributed across western North America, ranging from New Mexico and Colorado through California to British Columbia.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Leptarctia: /lɛptˈɑːrk.ti.ə/
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Identification
The sole Leptarctia californiae has forewings measuring 12–17 mm in length. Two forms have been described: f. decia (Boisduval, 1869) and f. dimidiata (Stretch, 1872). As a , identification relies on recognizing this species-level variation rather than distinguishing between multiple congeneric species.
Images
Habitat
Open forests, meadows, and clearings in mountainous regions of western North America.
Distribution
Western North America, from New Mexico and Colorado west to California, and north to British Columbia.
More Details
Taxonomic history
Leptarctia was formerly classified in the , which has been subsumed into Erebidae. A former , Leptarctia albiceps (Rothschild, 1933), has been reassigned or synonymized. The remains despite the description of two color forms.