''Thurberiphaga'' 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 "unispec ...

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

genus of the family

Noctuidae The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other f ...

erected by

Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. (February 14, 1866 – January 21, 1929) was an American entomologist. Dyar's Law, a pattern of geometric progression in the growth of insect parts, is named after him. He was also noted for eccentric pursuits which includ ...

in 1920. Its only species, ''Thurberiphaga diffusa'', was first described by

William Barnes William Barnes (22 February 1801 – 7 October 1886) was an English polymath, writer, poet, philologist, priest, mathematician, engraving artist and inventor. He wrote over 800 poems, some in Dorset dialect, and much other work, including a co ...

in 1904.

Distribution

''Thurberiphaga diffusa'' can be found only in southern

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

in the United States.Powell, Jerry A. & Opler, Paul A. (2009). ''Moths of Western North America''. University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA.

Flight

This moth is on wing from July to September.

Life cycle

The caterpillar bores into the stem of the host plant. It is a pinkish color and is covered with rough setae.

Host plants

Its only host plant is wild cotton (''

Gossypium thurberi ''Gossypium thurberi'', also known as Arizona wild cotton, Thurber's cotton, or desert cotton, is a wild species of cotton. Description Their flowers are not showy, but the palm-shaped green leaves turn maroon in autumn.Fryxell, P. A. 1976. A no ...

'').

References

Moths of North America Hadeninae Moths described in 1904 Monotypic moth genera {{Hadeninae-stub