Chloronycta

The genus is distinguished by its small to medium size (wingspan 34–36 mm) and association with riparian habitats in mountainous regions. Adults are nocturnal and can be distinguished from similar noctuids by their specific habitat and phenology. Larvae are waxy green with pale green heads, reaching 26 mm at maturity, and exhibit distinctive feeding behavior: early instars skeletonize leaves from the lower surface, while later instars feed from leaf edges on the underside.

Canyons and mid-elevation wooded areas, particularly riparian corridors in mountainous terrain.

Mountainous regions from Mexico north to southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, extending through the Sierra Madre Occidental.

Adults active in January and from July to September.

Larvae feed exclusively on Fraxinus velutina (velvet ash).

• Fraxinus velutina - larval host plantvelvet ash

Egg to adult with five larval instars. Early instars (first two) skeletonize patches of leaf tissue from the lower leaf surface. Middle and late instars feed from leaf edges, always from the underside. Last-instar larvae reach approximately 26 mm. Prior to pupation, larvae tunnel into punky wood to form a pupal crypt with minimal silk, using silk only to weave a frass-silk cover.

Larvae exhibit stereotyped feeding positions: early instars skeletonize leaves, later instars feed from leaf edges on the underside. Pupation occurs in self-constructed crypts in punky wood rather than in soil or leaf litter.

Specialized herbivore on velvet ash in riparian ecosystems; contributes to nutrient cycling through leaf herbivory and wood decomposition via pupal crypt construction.

• Other NoctuidaeChloronycta can be distinguished by its specific association with Fraxinus velutina, distinctive larval feeding behavior, and pupal crypt construction in punky wood—traits not commonly combined in related genera.

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy