About Diachrysia balluca Geyer, 1832
Diachrysia balluca (Geyer, 1832) is a large moth, with a forewing length ranging from 20.0 to 25.0 mm. It has grey to brown pointed forewings, which have metallic green patches covering their outer two-thirds. Its hindwings are grey and unmarked. The underside of this moth's thorax is white, and its prothorax is brown to yellow. Diachrysia balluca is the largest plusiine moth found in North America. There is limited information available about the larval form of Diachrysia balluca. Most larvae belonging to the subfamily Plusiinae do not have prolegs on their third and fourth abdominal segments. This lack causes larvae to move their abdomen in a 'looping motion' during travel, similar to the movement of inchworms. The Plusiinae subfamily is also defined by several shared traits: upturned labial palps that sit above the eye, large scale tufts on the thorax, dorsal scale tufts on one or more abdominal segments, and a quadrifid hindwing.
Diachrysia balluca is native to northeastern North America, where its range extends west from Nova Scotia to Manitoba and south to North Carolina. The southern limit of the species' main range is Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the southeastern United States. Despite this main range limit, the first recorded specimen of Diachrysia balluca was discovered in Georgia in 1832, and one additional specimen was recorded in northwestern Florida in 1965.
In northeastern North America, Diachrysia balluca lives in mature poplar and mixedwood forests. This moth feeds on woody plants, including common hop, quaking aspen, Canadian woodnettle, and species from the genus Rubus. Adult Diachrysia balluca are also known to visit flowers from the family Asteraceae.
