delicate cycnia

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Delicate cycnia, also called dogbane tiger moth, is a common, easily recognized, medium-sized moth. It occurs across the United States and southern Canada. In the U.S. there are two widely separated populations. In the east, it occurs from Maine to Georgia, west to Minnesota and eastern Oklahoma. In the west, it occurs from Washington to western Montana. Between these areas there are widely scattered records. There are historical records from the southwest, but it is now presumed extirpated from there. Delicate cycnia is common in Minnesota.

The larvae are food specialists. They feed on the leaves of dogbanes and milkweeds. Adults are found in a wide variety of open areas, including meadows, old fields, and roadsides, wherever their host plant is found. They are active from May to October in other parts of their range. In Minnesota, almost all records of adult delicate cycnia moths, both historical and modern, are from the months of June and July. The only exception was a sighting on August 14, 2018, in Washington County. This suggests that there may be just a single generation per year in Minnesota.

Adults are ⅝″ to ⅞″ (16 to 22 mm) in length and have a 13⁄16″ to 19⁄16″ (30 to 40 mm) wingspan. Moth size is sometimes given in terms of forewing length, which for this moth is ½″ to ¾″ (13 to 19 mm).

The head is orangish yellow. The antennae are whitish above and dark below. On the male they are feather-like, with short branches on both sides (bipectinate) from the base to the tip. On the female, they are unbranched (simple).

On the thorax, the upper side of the first segment (collar) is orangish yellow. There is a pair of densely hair-covered, scale-like plates (patagia) that cover the wing bases. The patagia are orangish yellow, at least at the base. The rest of the thorax is white.

The upper side of the abdomen is white. On each segment there is a narrow yellow band on the rear margin and a large black spot in the middle.

The forewings are long, broad, creamy white, and somewhat translucent. They are unmarked except for an orangish-yellow stripe on the leading edge (costal margin), The stripe extends beyond the midpoint of the wing but fades before reaching the wingtip. The veins appear whiter only because they are opaque.

The hindwings are similar to the forewings, but the stripe on the costal margin is paler.

The legs are bicolored, dark on the sides and below, whitish above.

The caterpillar is densely covered with long, soft, gray hairs.

Total length: ⅝″ to ⅞″ (16 to 22 mm)

Wingspan: 13⁄16″ to 19⁄16″ (30 to 40 mm)

Unexpected cycnia moth (Cycnia collaris) wings tend to be darker. The stripe on the costal margin may be orangish yellow or gray, and it does not extend beyond the midpoint of the wing.

Open areas, including meadows, old fields, and roadsides, where their host plant is found

One or two generations per year in Minnesota: June and July

The larvae feed at night. Early stage (instar) larvae feed in small groups of 5 to 7 individuals.

Adults are active at night and will come to lights. Males emit clicks when courting females.

Leaves of dogbanes and milkweeds

Caterpillars accumulate toxic chemicals from their host plants, making them poisonous or unpalatable to predators.

Males emit a clicking sound in response to the echolocation pulses emitted by hunting bats. The bats learn to avoid the distasteful clicking moths. It was once thought that the clicks jammed the bats’ echolocation, but this is now disputed.

Sources

4, 21, 27, 29, 30, 71, 75, 82, 83.

Common and widespread

In 2011 the family Arctiidae (tiger moths and lichen moths) was transferred to the family Erebidae mostly intact but demoted to a subfamily. The former subfamilies are now tribes, the former tribes now subtribes.

Location: Albany, NY