Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Superfamily Noctuoidea Rank Genus | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Family Erebidae | |
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Similar Platarctia parthenos, Arachnis, Apantesis, Pseudohemihyalea | ||
Weeding the easy way how to ranchman s tiger moth platyprepia virginalis larva eating thistle
Platyprepia is a genus of tiger moths in the family Erebidae. It contains only one species, Platyprepia virginalis, Ranchman's tiger moth, which is found in western North America, ranging from southern Monterrey Bay in California across Nevada and southern Utah to Colorado and north to southern British Columbia. The habitat consists of wet lowland prairies, wet meadows, wet forests and in riparian zones along creeks in dry desert regions.
The length of the forewings is 26-31 mm. The forewings are black with numerous light yellow spots. The hindwings are variable in pattern, but are most commonly orange with broad irregular black bands. Adults are on wing in summer.
The larvae feed on a wide range of herbaceous plants. They are covered with dense long hairs. These hairs are orange at the head and tail and black in the central part.