Apantesis phalerata

Apantesis phalerata, the harnessed tiger moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Thaddeus William Harris in 1841.[1][2] It is found in North America from Ontario, Quebec and Maine to Florida, west to Texas, north to South Dakota.

Harnessed tiger moth
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Superfamily:	Noctuoidea
Family:	Erebidae
Subfamily:	Arctiinae
Genus:	Apantesis
Species:	A. phalerata
Binomial name
Apantesis phalerata (Harris, 1841)
Synonyms
Arctia phalerata Harris, 1841 Arctia phalerata var. incompleta Butler, 1881 Arctia rhoda Butler, 1881 Arctia incarnata Stretch, 1906 Arctia pulcherrima Stretch, 1906 Apantesis naidella Strand, 1919 Apantesis vittatula Strand, 1919 Apantesis rhodana Strand, 1919

The wingspan is 30–42 mm (1.2–1.7 in). The moths fly from April to September depending on the location.

The larvae feed on Trifolium, Spartina, Taraxacum, and Plantago species, as well as other low-growing plants.

On top of all of this, its caterpillar hosts include clover, corn, dandelion, plantain, and other plants. As a group, tiger moth caterpillars feed on a wide range of grasses, garden crops, shrubs, and trees. Like all butterflies and moths, harnessed tiger moths undergo a complete metamorphosis, with four life cycle stages: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa, and adult. The cocoon is constructed mostly from larval hairs, making for a rather fuzzy pupal case.

Many tiger moths wear bright colors, which may serve to warn predators that they'd be an unpalatable meal. However, the nocturnal tiger moths are also hunted by bats, which find their prey using echolocation rather than sight.