Euchaetes elegans

Description

Euchaetes elegans, the elegant pygarctia, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Richard Harper Stretch in 1874. It is found in the US states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and Texas, and in Mexico, Guatemala, Panama and Colombia. The length of the forewings is 16–18 mm. Adults are sexually dimorphic. Males are smaller and the dorsal abdomen is entirely crimson, while the last segment is white in females. Adults are on wing from July to September. The larvae feed on Asclepias species. Early instar larvae feed communally. Full-grown larvae reach a length of 28 mm. Pupation takes place in a silken cocoon on the host plant.