Grateful Midget
Elaphria grata
OWLET MOTH FAMILY (Noctuidae)
The Grateful Midget has a wingspan of about 1 inch. The forewing is reddish-brown with dull white lines and spots. The obicular spot is a small black dot. The hourglass shaped reniform spot has 2 black dots. The hindwing is dirty white with grayish brown shading. The caterpillar is reddish brown with white spots and orange dashes. Abdominal segment 8 is humped and resembles a false head.
The frequency of occurrence is not known. It was photographed in early September 2012 at Neale Woods coming to artificial lights.
The host plants are clover, oaks, violets and dead leaves. Midget moths belong to the Noctuinae Subfamily and the Elaphrini Tribe. The Tribe includes 4 genera and 20 North American species.
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