''Apantesis figurata'', the figured tiger moth, is a
moth of the family
Erebidae
The Erebidae are a family of moths in the superfamily Noctuoidea. The family is among the largest families of moths by species count and contains a wide variety of well-known macromoth groups. The family includes the underwings ('' Catocala'') ...
. It was described by
Dru Drury in 1773. It is found in North America from southern
Ontario and
New Hampshire south to
Georgia and west to
Colorado and
Texas.
The average length of a sample of forewings was 15.77 mm. The forewings are dark brown to black dorsally with pale buff to ivory bands. The ground colour of the hindwings is highly variable, ranging from yellow to scarlet or pink. The markings are black. There are two generations per year in northern Ohio. In the northern part of the range, adults are mostly on wing from May to June in one generation. In the southwest adults have been recorded on wing from April to October.
The larvae feed on various low-growing plants, including
alfalfa
Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as w ...
and
plantain.
BugGuide
/ref>
This species was formerly a member of the genus ''Grammia'', but was moved to ''Apantesis'' along with the other species of the genera ''Grammia'', ''Holarctia'', and ''Notarctia''.[
]
References
*
Arctiina
Moths described in 1773
Taxa named by Dru Drury
{{Arctiina-stub