Ledaea perditalis, the buttonbush owlet or lost owlet moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Francis Walker in 1859. It is found in North America from the Great Lakes states, Quebec and northern New England, south to Florida and Texas.

Ledaea perditalis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Genus: Ledaea
Species:
L. perditalis
Binomial name
Ledaea perditalis
(Walker, 1859)
Synonyms
  • Ledaea semilineata (Walker, 1865)
  • Ledaea umbrifascia (Grote, 1873)

The wingspan is 23–26 mm. Adults are on wing from April to August in the south and from May to August in the north. There are one to three generations per year.

The larvae feed on Cephalanthus species and Scirpus cyperinus.

References edit

  • Wagner, David L.; Schweitzer, Dale F.; Sullivan, J. Bolling & Reardon, Richard C. (2011). Owlet Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691150420.
  • Murray, Tom (July 8, 2016). "Species Ledaea perditalis - Lost Owlet - Hodges#8491". BugGuide. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  • "930560.00 – 8491 – Ledaea perditalis – Lost Owlet Moth – (Walker, 1859)". North American Moth Photographers Group. Mississippi State University. Retrieved March 23, 2020.