Alypiodes bimaculata
Alypiodes bimaculata, the two-spotted forester, is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae.
Description
The two-spotted forester, plainly bears more than two spots. If spots on the forewings and body are ignored, and only the single small spots adorning each hindwing are considered, then the math adds up.Otherwise, for identification, it is helpful to notice blue dashes between the white spots, the rounded wings, the broad thorax, and the fact that this a moth that flies during the day, not at night like most moths.
Habitat
Adults frequently are seen taking nectar from flowers of Baccharis plants, of the Asteraceae Family. Caterpillars feed on members of the Four O'clock Family, the Nyctaginaceae.Range
The distribution map forAlypiodes bimaculata at iNaturalist indicates that the species occurs in the highlands of northern and central Mexico, except Baja California, plus in the US near the Mexican border, mainly in Arizona. The texasento.net website reports the species in western Texas.Taxonomy
The species was first described by Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer in 1853.[Etymology]
It's been suggested that the genus name Alypiodes is based on the Greek a, meaning "without" or "together," and the -lypi- part meaning "pain" or "distress," with the suffix -odes deriving from the Greek -ōdēs, which is a plural form meaning "like" or "similar to." Thus it seems that species in this genus are similar to something not feeling much pain...The species name bimaculata is derived from the Latin bis, for "two," and macula, for "spot."
The MONA or Hodges number for Alypiodes bimaculata is 9312.