Halysidota tessellaris

Halysidota tessellaris

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Subfamily: Arctiinae
Genus: Halysidota
Species:
H. tessellaris
Binomial name
Halysidota tessellaris
(J. E. Smith, 1797)
Synonyms
  • Phalaena tessellaris Smith, 1797
  • Halysidota (Lophocampa) antiphola Walsh, 1864
  • Halisidota oslari Rothschild, 1909
  • Halysidota tessellaris ab. antipholella Strand, 1919
  • Halysidota tessellaris ab. tesselaroides Strand, 1919

Halysidota tessellaris, also called the pale tiger moth, banded tussock moth, and tessellated halisidota, is in the family Erebidae and the tribe Arctiini, the tiger moths. The species was first described by James Edward Smith in 1797. Like many related species, adult moths have chemical defenses acquired from its host plants, in this case, alkaloids. Larval behaviors suggest that they are chemically protected; they have not been analyzed for alkaloid content.