Arched Hooktip Moth - (Drepana arcuata)

The sleek, clean lines of the Arched Hooktip's forweings end in a slight downward curve at the apex.

Staff Writer (8/17/2017): A quick look at the ends of the wings will distinguish a Hooktip moth from others. The points of each wing bend downward, similar to the shape of a hook or the top half of a parrot's beak. The yellow-brown wings are crossed with thin, dark brown lines with the darkest one running through the middle. Individuals can vary is shades with some looking pale while others are saturated brown. A couple of black dots/spots mark the centers of the forewings and are easy to see when the moth is resting with wings flat.

Caterpillars feed on the leaves of alder and birch trees. They fold up a leaf and use their silk to form a retreat for themselves. They have been heard making soft audible clicks or taps when provoked. They are green, brown, or even purple at various stages. The 4 or 5 segments near the head have a pair of bumps on them, each with a single black hair extending from it. The ventral side (belly) may be a whitish-yellow and the tip of the abdomen tends to curve upward. Females can produce up to two broods each year.

The Arched Hooktip is a nocturnal moth though adults are attracted to lights at night. Look for them in forests in elevated areas and ones near coastal areas, especially in the Pacific Northwest and Northeast.

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Details of the:
Arched Hooktip Moth

Category: Butterfly or Moth
Common name: Arched Hooktip Moth
Scientific Name: Drepana arcuata

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Lepidoptera

Family: Drepanidae

Genus: Drepana

Species: arcuata

Size (Adult, Length): 27mm to 40mm (1.06in to 1.57in)

Identifying Colors: yellow, brown, tan

Additional Descriptors: wavy, lines, point, downward, drip, tip, hook, beak, smooth, stealth, flying

North American Reach (Though Not Limited To*): Alabama; Alaska; Arizona; Arkansas; California; Colorado; Connecticut; Delaware; Florida; Georgia; Hawaii; Idaho; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Mississippi; Missouri; Montana; Nebraska; Nevada; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New Mexico; New York; North Carolina; North Dakota; Ohio; Oklahoma; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; Utah; Vermont; Virginia; Washington; West Virginia; Wisconsin; Wyoming; Alberta; Manitoba; New Brunswick; Newfoundland and Labrador; Nova Scotia; Ontario; Prince Edward Island; Quebec; Saskatchewan; Mexico

* Keep in mind that an insect's reach is not limited by lines on a map and therefore may appear in areas/regions/states beyond those listed above.

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