About Oidaematophorus eupatorii (Fernald, 1893)
Oidaematophorus eupatorii, commonly known as the eupatorium plume moth or Joe Pye plume moth, is a moth species belonging to the family Pterophoridae. It is found in North America, with recorded occurrences in Florida, Mississippi, Iowa, New York, California, and Vancouver Island. It is also present in Mexico, Guatemala, and Panama. The wingspan of this moth measures approximately 21 to 24 millimetres (0.83–0.94 in). The head is dull reddish brown, the thorax is pale brown, and the legs are brown. The forewings are pale ocher yellow, and are whitest along the costal portion. They are sprinkled with dark-brown scales heavily enough to give the wings an overall wood-brown color. These dark-brown scales form a spot that nearly reaches a dark-brown costal streak over the end of the fissure. Beyond this spot, there are two dark-brown costal spots, the first of which is smaller. The fringes are smoke brown, with whitish markings once on the first lobe and twice on the outer margin of the hind lobe. The hindwings and their fringes are brownish cinereous. The larvae are greenish, with stripes in wine color and white. They feed on Eupatorium species (including Eupatorium purpurascens) and Epilobium species.
