Apantesis phalerata

Apantesis phalerata, also known as the harnessed tiger moth, is a moth species of the family Erebidae. It was first described by Thaddeus William Harris in 1841.[1][2]

Harnessed tiger moth
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
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

In North America, this species' range extends from Ontario, Quebec and Maine to Florida, Texas, and South Dakota and are active from April to September in the southern range and from May to August in the north.

As caterpillars, they feed on grasses, garden crops, shrubs, and trees, such as Trifolium (clover), Spartina (cordgrass), Taraxacum (dandelion), and Plantago (plantain) species, as well as other low-growing plants. 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.

A. phalerata have a wingspan of 30–42 mm (1.2–1.7 in). Like other tiger moths, it employs aposematism in order to discourage predators. The harnessed tiger moth is predated upon by bats, which employ echolocation as their primary sensory mechanism for detecting prey, and are thus not discouraged by bright colors.