DECEPTIVE BOMOLOCHA

Hypena deceptalis

OWLET MOTH FAMILY (Erebidae)

The Deceptive Bomolocha has a wingspan of approximately  1 to 1.25 inches.  The sexes are dimorphic with the male being slightly larger than the female.  The male is a dark sooty brown, slightly darker in the median area of the forewing and pale near the apex.  The antemedian (am) and postmedian (pm) lines are pale.  The pm line is nearly straight.  The subterminal line is marked by a series of blackish patches between veins.  The orbicular spot is black.  The female is patterned like the male, but is paler brown.  The terminal half of the forewing is even paler and contrasts with the darker basal half.  The hindwings are dark brown and unmarked.  The similar Red-footed Bomolocha (H. eductalis) has a pm line that is bent near the forward edge of the forewing.

The frequency of occurrence is not known at Fontenelle Forest or Neale Woods. The individual shown here was photographed at Fontenelle Forest Nature Center in late July.  Adults are nocturnal and come to lights.

 Another common name for this moth is Basswood Owlet.  The larvae eat the leaves of American Basswood.  The caterpillars are elongate and green.  They have reduced prolegs on abdominal segment 3 and the hind prolegs splay outward from the rear of the body, making them throw a loop into the body when walking.