Rachiplusia ou, commonly known as the gray looper moth, is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Achille Guenée in 1852.[1] It is found in the southern and eastern parts of the United States, Montana, Nova Scotia, from Mexico to Venezuela to Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.[2][3]
| Rachiplusia ou | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Noctuidae |
| Genus: | Rachiplusia |
| Species: | R. ou
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| Binomial name | |
| Rachiplusia ou (Guenée, 1852)
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| Synonyms | |
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The wingspan is 31–41 mm. Adults are on wing from May to October or year round in the southern states.
The larvae feed on various herbaceous plants, including Chenopodium ambrosioides, Nicotiana tabacum, Trifolium, Mentha, Triticum aestivum and Tropaeolum.
References edit
- ^ Barnes, Matthew J. C. (2002). "Rachiplusia ou". Moths of the Grenadines. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ Cotinis (March 2, 2013). "Species Rachiplusia ou - Gray Looper Moth - Hodges#8895". BugGuide. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ Pogue, Michael G. (2005). "The Plusiinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) of Great Smoky Mountains National Park" (PDF). Zootaxa. 1032: 1–28.
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