Page 616 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Noctuidae
DISTRIBUTION Parts of southeast Canada, United States, the Caribbean,
and through Central America; parts of Brazil, Argentina,
and Paraguay; Spain, the Canary Islands, and Madeira
HABITAT Forests, coastal rain forests, and conifer forests
HOST PLANTS Wood sorrel (Oxalis spp.)
NOTE Odd-looking, slug-shaped caterpillar in shades of brown
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but rare in much of its range

ADULT WINGSPAN
¾–1 in (20–25 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
1 ⁄ in (30 mm)
GALGULA PARTITA
WEDGLING MOTH
614
GUENÉE, 1852

The caterpillars of the Wedgling Moth hatch from conical,
ridged eggs laid on the underside of leaves, either singly or in
small clusters. The larvae feed only on wood sorrel, an unusual
food plant as the leaves have high levels of the relatively
unpalatable salt oxalate, which means few animals feed on
them. In fact, this species is the only one to feed on wood
sorrel in North America.

The nocturnal Wedgling Moth is on the wing at di erent times
of year, depending on the location. In the south of their range,
the moths are seen from March to November, while in the north

they y from May to September. There are several generations
a year. As Galgula partita feeds only on a single plant species,
any loss of that plant’s habitat leads to a decline in moth numbers
due to the lack of alternative host plants, hence the Wedgling’s
increasing rarity in some regions.

The Wedgling Moth caterpillar has an unusual,
enlarged body section that creates a tapered,
sluglike shape. The dorsal surface is dark brown,
and the sides are a mottled, pale brown, edged
in white. The enlarged section bears rings of
white dots, and there are several pale dorsal
lines. The head is brown with white stripes.

Actual size