Penthesilea sacculalis

Ragonot, 1890

Long-snouted Penthesilea Moth

A small with a wingspan of 13–17 mm, found across the southeastern and southwestern United States. The exhibits dark to fuscous with occasional reddish-brown overscaling at the angle. Two are recognized: the nominate form and P. s. baboquivariensis, restricted to Arizona.

Penthesilea sacculalis baboquivariensis by Solis AM, Cashatt ED, Scholtens BG. Used under a CC BY 3.0 license.Penthesilea sacculalis baboquivariensis by Solis AM, Cashatt ED, Scholtens BG. Used under a CC BY 3.0 license.Penthesilea sacculalis baboquivariensis by Solis AM, Cashatt ED, Scholtens BG. Used under a CC BY 3.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Penthesilea sacculalis: //pɛnˌθɛsɪˈliːə ˌsækjuˈlɑːlɪs//

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Small size and uniformly dark to fuscous without strong patterning. Distinguished from similar by the occasional reddish-brown overscaling at the angle of the . The nominate occurs across the southeastern US, while the Arizona subspecies P. s. baboquivariensis is geographically isolated.

Images

Appearance

Small with wingspan 13–17 mm. dark to fuscous, with angle occasionally overscaled with reddish-brown; base darker than portion. uniformly dark brown to fuscous.

Distribution

Southeastern and southwestern United States: Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, and Arizona. The P. s. baboquivariensis is to Arizona.

Similar Taxa

  • Other Penthesilea speciesSimilar size and coloration; requires examination of or geographic distribution for definitive identification
  • Unspecified Chrysauginae speciesDark with similar patterns; subtle wing scaling details and geographic range help distinguish P. sacculalis

More Details

Subspecies

Two recognized: P. s. sacculalis (widespread) and P. s. baboquivariensis Cashatt in Solis, Cashatt & Scholtens, 2012 (Arizona only)

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Sources and further reading