Acontia cretata

Chalky bird dropping moth
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Superfamily:	Noctuoidea
Family:	Noctuidae
Genus:	Acontia
Species:	A. cretata
Binomial name
Acontia cretata (Grote & Robinson, 1870)
Synonyms
Tarache cretata Grote & Robinson, 1870 Acontia neocula Smith, 1900 Acontia schwarzii Smith, 1900 Tarache schvarzi Hampson, 1910

Acontia cretata, the chalky bird dropping moth, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote and Coleman Townsend Robinson in 1870. It is found from the US states of California to Texas and Oklahoma, north to Colorado and Utah.

The wingspan is 22–27 mm. Adults are on wing from April to September.

The larva has been recorded as a host of the parasitoid braconid wasp Bracon mellitor.

References

• McLeod, Robin (April 9, 2014). "Species Acontia cretata - Chalky Bird Dropping Moth - Hodges#9161". BugGuide. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
• "931375.00 – 9161 – Acontia cretata – Chalky Bird-dropping Moth – (Grote & Robinson, 1870)". North American Moth Photographers Group. Mississippi State University. Retrieved August 14, 2020.