Unspotted Looper

Unspotted Looper

Allagrapha aerea
OWLET MOTH FAMILY (Noctuidae)

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The Unspotted Looper has a forewing length of about .75 inch. The forewing is pinkish or lavender with bands of dark gray or brown shading along wavy Antemedial and Postmedial lines. The subterminal area is light brown. The hindwings are tan with darker brown veins. The face and thorax are orange-brown. The legs are yellow with fuzzy, tan-colored scales on the femurs. The caterpillar is green with 4 wavy white stripes above the spiracles. The head is green, shiny and unmarked. There are no vestigial prolegs on the 3rd and 4th abdominal segments. It grows to 1.5 inches.

 

The frequency of occurrence at Fontenelle Forest is not known. It has been photographed in Fontenelle Forest in September 2014 and late September 2015. Adults fly from April to September. Adults are nocturnal and come to lights.

 

The larvae feed on plants in the Aster family (Asteraceae), Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) and forbs such as Soybean (Glycine max) and Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica).

 

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