Nomophila nearctica

Nomophila nearctica, the lucerne moth, clover nomophila, false webworm, celery stalkworm or American celery webworm, is a moth of the family Crambidae. It is known from southern Canada and all of the United States, south to Mexico and the Neotropics.

Nomophila nearctica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Crambidae
Genus:	Nomophila
Species:	N. nearctica
Binomial name
Nomophila nearctica Munroe, 1973[1]

The wingspan is 24–35 mm. When at rest, adults keep their wings overlapped and hugged against the abdomen, giving a long and narrow profile. The forewing is elongate, grayish-brown with two side-by-side dark oval spots near the middle of the wing, and another dark bilobed spot a little farther out. The hindwings are much broader. They are pale brownish-gray with a whitish fringe.[2]

Adults are on wing from April to November in North America.

The larvae feed on celery, grasses, lucerne, Medicago sativa, Polygonum, Melilotus and various other low-growing herbaceous plants. They have a black head. The abdomen is variably light brown to dark gray with a bumpy surface and sparse long hairs and a thin dark dorsal line bordered by narrow pale strip.

References

1. "mothphotographersgroup". Mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
2. "Bug Guide". Bug Guide. Retrieved 2011-10-18.