''Apantesis virgo'', the virgin tiger moth, is a moth of the family

Erebidae The Erebidae are a family of moths in the superfamily Noctuoidea. The family is among the largest families of moths by species count and contains a wide variety of well-known macromoth groups. The family includes the underwings ('' Catocala'') ...

. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. It is found in North America from

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

south to Florida west to Alberta. The wingspan is about 56 mm. The larvae feed on various low-growing plants, including ''

Thermopsis rhombifolia ''Thermopsis rhombifolia'', also known as prairie thermopsis, is a flowering plant in the legume family. It is native to North America, where it is found in the Great Plains, with extensions into the lower canyons of the Rocky Mountains. Its n ...

'' and '' Plantago'' species. The species overwinters in the larval stage. This species was formerly a member of the genus ''Grammia'', but was moved to ''Apantesis'' along with the other species of the genera ''Grammia'', ''Holarctia'', and ''Notarctia''.

Subspecies

*''Apantesis virgo virgo'' (from the Great Lakes region and Atlantic seaboard south through New England, to at least West Virginia. In the west, the range extends to north-eastern British Columbia) *''Apantesis virgo gigas'' B. C. Schmidt, 2009 (south-eastern United States, including the Great Smoky Mountains, south to Georgia and northern Florida)Schmidt, B. C. (2009). "Taxonomic revision of the genus ''Grammia'' Rambur (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Arctiinae)". ''Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society''. 156: 507-597.

References

Arctiina Moths described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Moths of North America {{Arctiina-stub