''Psychomorpha'' is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

genus of the family

Noctuidae The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family (biology), family of moths. Taxonomically, they are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly ...

erected by

Thaddeus William Harris Thaddeus William Harris (November 12, 1795 – January 16, 1856) was an American entomologist and librarian. His focus on insect life cycles and interactions with plants was influential in broadening American entomological studies beyond a narrow ...

in 1839. Its only species, ''Psychomorpha epimenis'', the grapevine epimenis, was first described by

Dru Drury Dru Drury (4 February 1725 – 15 January 1804) was a British collector of natural history specimens and an entomologist. He received specimens collected from across the world through a network of ship's officers and collectors including Henry ...

in 1782. It is found in eastern North America as far west as the Oklahoma Panhandle.

Description

The wings and body are black with a large white forewing patch and a red hindwing patch. The wingspan ranges from 2.2 to 2.7 cm.Covell, Charles V. Jr. (2005). ''Moths of Eastern North America''. Virginia Museum of Natural History, Martinsville, VA.

Subspecies

* ''Psychomorpha epimenis epimenis'' * ''Psychomorpha epimenis euryrhoda'' (Florida) - has a red hindwing patch that stretches almost to the base of the wing

Habitat

This moth may be encountered in woodlands, woodland edges, and hedgerows.Wagner, David L. (2005). ''Caterpillars of Eastern North America''. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.

Flight

The grapevine epimenis is a spring moth which may be found from March to early May.

Life cycle

The

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

is black with transverse white stripes. The head, part of the thorax, the area near the end of the abdomen, and the

proleg A proleg is a small, fleshy, stub structure found on the ventral surface of the abdomen of most larval forms of insects of the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, though they can also be found on larvae of insects such as symphyta, sawflies. In ...

s are a reddish orange. The larva makes a leaf shelter in new foliage by taking the leaf edges and pulling them upward and then tying them together with silk. The

pupa A pupa (; : pupae) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages th ...

hibernates in wood or dense peat. It has one brood per year.

Host plants

Host plants include: * Summer grapevine, ''

Vitis aestivalis ''Vitis aestivalis'', the summer grape, or pigeon grape is a species of grape native to eastern North America from southern Ontario east to Maine, west to Oklahoma, and south to Florida and Texas. It is a vigorous vine, growing to 10 m or more hi ...

'' * Fox grapevine, ''

Vitis labrusca ''Vitis labrusca'', the fox grape, is a species of grapevines belonging to the ''Vitis'' genus in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The vines are native to eastern North America and are the source of many grape cultivars, including Catawba, ...

'' * Riverbank grapevine, ''

Vitis riparia ''Vitis riparia'' Michx, with common names riverbank grape or frost grape, is a vine indigenous to North America. As a climbing or trailing vine, it is widely distributed across central and eastern Canada and the central and northeastern parts ...

'' * Frost grapevine, '' Vitis vulpina''

References

Agaristinae Moths of North America Psychomorpha Monotypic moth genera {{Agaristinae-stub