''Spilosoma pteridis'', the brown tiger moth, is a

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 ...

in the family

Erebidae The Erebidae are a family (biology), 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 underwin ...

. It was described by Henry Edwards in 1875. It is found in the United States in western

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

and

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

and northern

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

. The habitat consists of wet forests west of the Cascades, including coastal rainforests, low elevation mixed hardwood-conifer forests, as well as higher elevation conifer forests in the Cascades. The length of the forewings is 11–13 mm. Adults are on wing from late spring to early August. The larvae probably feed on various herbaceous plants.

Subspecies

There are two

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

:''Spilosoma pteridis''
at Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms'' *''Spilosoma pteridis pteridis'' *''Spilosoma pteridis rubra'' (Neumoegen, 1881)

References

External links

''Spilosoma pteridis'' at BOLD''Spilosoma pteridis'' at EOL''Spilosoma pteridis'' at BHL
Moths described in 1875 pteridis {{Spilosoma-stub