''Hypsoropha monilis'', the large necklace moth, is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

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'') ...

found in the southeastern United States. The species was first described by

Johan Christian Fabricius Johan Christian Fabricius (7 January 1745 – 3 March 1808) was a Danish zoologist, specialising in "Insecta", which at that time included all arthropods: insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others. He was a student of Carl Linnaeus, and is cons ...

in 1777.

Description

Adults

Adult wings are brown with a postmedial band of white spots meeting at the inner margins, like a white necklace. The specific epithet ''monilis'' is a Latin word meaning necklace or collar, referring to this spot band. The species is similar in appearance to the smaller small necklace moth (''

Hypsoropha hormos ''Hypsoropha hormos'', the small necklace moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner Jacob Hübner (20 June 1761 – 13 September 1826, in Augsburg) was a German entomologist. He was the author of ...

''), and the ranges of the two species broadly overlap.

Larvae

Caterpillars are mostly gray with yellow or green segmental rings and white spots on the abdominal segments. The head is yellow orange with two large, black spots, and the top of the thorax just behind the head is black.

Range

The species' occurrence range extends from Texas and Kansas in the west to Florida and Maryland in the east.

Life cycle

Adults

Adults have been reported from February to October, with most sightings from March to May.

References

Moths described in 1777 Hypocalinae {{Hypocalinae-stub