''Protorthodes melanopis'' 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 ...

in the family

Noctuidae The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other f ...

. It is found across the southern

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, from western

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

to southern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Its range extends as far north as southern

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

and as far south as northern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. The length of the forewings is 11–14 mm. The ground colour of the forewings is pale grey-brown which emphasizes the contrast between the reniform spot, orbicular spot and the ground color. The pale hindwings of the males contrast with the forewings. In males the hindwing is white and translucent, with some fuscous shading on the veins and wing margin. In females, the hindwing is covered with a fuscous sheen, darker on the veins and wing margin. Adults are on wing from late February to early May and again from mid-August to late September.; ; 2014: A revision of the genus ''Protorthodes'' McDunnough with descriptions of a new genus and four new species (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Noctuinae, Eriopygini). ZooKeys, 421: 139-179.

References

Moths described in 1905 Hadeninae {{Hadeninae-stub