GLOSSY BLACK IDIA

Idia lubricalis

OWLET MOTHS  (Erebidae)


Description

The Glossy Black Idia has a wingspan of about 1.5 inches (24 - 36 mm).  The forewing is shiny, sooty brown with a pale band beyond the Subterminal Line.  The jagged Antemedial and post medial lines are edged with pale yellow.  The hindwing is pale grayish brown with 2 faint lines crossing it.  The larva is smoky gray with yellow-orange hornlike projections the length of the dorsal side of the abdomen.  The head is black.  It grows to nearly one inch long.




Occurrence

The frequency of occurrence of this moth is not known, but it is probably common as it is considered to be comon in its eastern range.   It was photographed coming to artificial lights at Acorn Acres in Fontenelle Forest in late July 2014.




Comments

The larvae eat grasses, fungi, lichen and rotten wood. 





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Glossy Black Idia

Glossy Black Idia

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