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Mournful Thyris

Thyris sepulchralis

Photo by gatorfellows
Published on Project Noah
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33.1527, -97.0183

Field Notes

Description:

Black wings with a large median and other smaller white spots; those at margin give wings a ragged look. Hindwing has white median patch. Wingspan 15-23 mm. Conspicuous when seen flying in daytime because of bold pattern.

Habitat:

Texas Laurel in a wildlife habitat garden. Photo 1 actually has two on the same bloom, second wing and abdomen slightly visible.

Notes:

Spent 2 hours on March 20 chasing this kind of moth down a trail. This morning they are all over the blooms on the spirea and Texas laurel.

Reference Links:

Species Pseudothyris sepulchralis - Mournful Thyris - Hodges#6077 - BugGuide.Net

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (10)
gatorfellows
Their host plant is grape, so they are considered a pest by some. You will have to come East to get a photo of one. They fly April to Aug, :)
Reza Hashemizadeh
Gator, they are so worth the effort, I cannot get enough of them ever since you posted one !
gatorfellows
Thanks Carol :) I start looking for them when the Redbuds bloom. They were really happy on the Texas Laurel blooms. They really blended in on the Bridal veil spirea blooms and then I would see them fly. Great morning :)
Carol Snow Milne
Oh my! WOW! Look at them all. Last summer I had the pleasure of introduction to these amazing moths. Wonderful!
gatorfellows
Thanks Reza. They are tiny, but beautiful. That is what made me run after it last week for 2 hours. Had I known they were coming to me, I would have waited. :)

Spotted for Missions

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Nature In Your Texas Backyard!
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Moths of the World
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Texas Wildlife Photographers
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Butterflies & Moths of Texas

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Photographed
PublishedMarch 30, 2013

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