Chytolita
Grote, 1873
Species Guides
2- Chytolita morbidalis(Morbid Owlet)
- Chytolita
Chytolita is a of litter moths in the Erebidae, established by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1873. Its sole , Chytolita morbidalis, is known as the morbid . The genus has been synonymized with Macrochilo in some classifications, though it is treated as valid in other sources. are active from May to August.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Chytolita: /kaɪˈtɒlɪtə/
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Images
Habitat
Deciduous woods and edges.
Distribution
North America, coast to coast in the north, south to North Carolina, Texas, and Florida in the west. Records also exist for Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
Seasonality
are on wing from May to August. One per year.
Diet
Larvae feed on leaves of various deciduous trees. Has been reared on dandelion, grass, hazel, and lettuce. Also recorded from dead leaves, including dried white oak leaves.
Host Associations
- deciduous trees - larval foodvarious
- dandelion - larval foodreared in captivity
- grass - larval foodreared in captivity
- hazel - larval foodreared in captivity
- lettuce - larval foodreared in captivity
- white oak - larval fooddead dried leaves
Similar Taxa
- MacrochiloChytolita has been synonymized with Macrochilo in some classifications; in this are sometimes classified in Macrochilo.
- Chytolita petrealisFormerly treated as a separate , but barcode analysis revealed little variation and it is now synonymized with C. morbidalis. The 'petrealis' form is smaller and darker.
More Details
Taxonomic status
Chytolita petrealis is now considered a synonym of C. morbidalis based on barcode analysis showing little barcode variation across a wide geographic range.