Texas Lep Information

Return to Texas Entomology - Compiled by Mike Quinn

Two-spotted Forester

Alypiodes bimaculata (Herrich-Schäffer, [1853])

Owlet Moth Family Noctuidae

Forester Moth Subfamily Agaristinae

Two-spotted Forester - Alypiodes bimaculata

Garden Canyon, Fort Huachuca,
Sierra Vista, Cochise Co., AZ
July 28, 2006 (Fred Heath)

"It can be down right abundant in the Huachuca Mountains of SE Arizona in early August."

Texas County Records for Alypiodes bimaculata

Range:

Southwestern U.S., south through Central America.

Holland (1903) reports this insect as "fairly common in southern California, New Mexico, and Arizona."

Texas: Davis Mountains, Jeff Davis Co., Guadalupe Mountains, Culberson Co.
Plus one sight record from Concan, Uvalde County.

Flight Period: This diurnal moth flies from late July to October.

Similar Species: There are four species of Alypiodes, of those, only A. geronimo also occurs in the U.S. (Arizona).

Alypiodes geronimo (Barnes, 1900)

Host Food Plant: Boerhaavia spp - Four-o’clock Family Nyctaginaceae

Nectar Plants: Frequently on Baccharis - Family Asteraceae

Photos: Adult - Larva - The Moths of Southeastern Arizona

Biography: Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer - Wikipedia

References:

Hampson, G.F. 1901. Catalogue of the Arctiadae (Arctianae) and Agaristidae in the collection of the British Museum (Natural History) Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the British Museum, 3: xix + 690 pp.

Holland, W.J. 1903. The Moth Book: A Popular Guide to a Knowledge of the Moths of North America. Doubleday, Page, & Co., N.Y. xxiv + 479 pp.

Knudson, E. & C. Bordelon. 2003. Checklist of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Publication No. 4. Texas Lepidoptera Survey, Houston. (treats 1300 species, 12 color plates).

Knudson, E. & C. Bordelon. 2003. Checklist of Davis Mountains, TX, Publication No. 7. Texas Lepidoptera Survey, Houston. (treats 1100 species, 10 color plates).