Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Superfamily Noctuoidea Rank Species | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Family Erebidae | |
Similar Virbia laeta, Virbia opella, Virbia aurantiaca, Haploa contigua | ||
Virbia ferruginosa top 5 facts
Virbia ferruginosa, the rusty holomelina, is a moth in the family Erebidae. It was described by Walker in 1854. It is found from Nova Scotia to British Columbia in Canada. In the United States it is found from the north-east and upper Midwest, south to Virginia, Mississippi, Missouri and Louisiana.
The length of the forewings is about 13.4 mm for males and 15 mm for females. The male forewings are cinnamon brown, with a faint olive brown discal spot. The hindwings are pinkish warm buff with cinnamon brown subterminal markings. The female forewings are cinnamon, but the subterminal region is clay, with a faint brown discal spot. The hindwings are peach red, with a brown discal spot and brown subterminal markings. There is one generation per year with adults on wing in July.
Larvae have been reared on dandelion species.