About Herpetogramma sphingealis Handfield & Handfield, 2011
The underside of the head, thorax, abdomen, and legs of Herpetogramma sphingealis are pure white, which makes the moth easy to spot when it flies toward a light trap. Adult moths (imagoes) of this species are sexually dimorphic. Males have a wingspan of 34–37 mm, while females have a wingspan of 31–34 mm. Males are nearly uniformly dark brown, with dark brown hindwings that bear a dark discal spot. Females have wings that are more squared at the apex, and their color is less uniformly dark than that of males. This species is distributed from southern Quebec in Canada, southward through the eastern United States to Georgia and Louisiana, reaching as far west as Arkansas. It lives in the darkest sections of rich xeric forests that contain maples and oaks, particularly in rocky, hilly maple groves where Christmas ferns are commonly found. The moth's dark brown color gives it cryptic patterning in its natural habitat, allowing it to hide well in the darkest shadows of woodland areas.
