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Digital Guide to Moth Identification

Noctuidae 931176 – 8895   Rachiplusia ou (Guenée, 1852)              Gray Looper

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Larva and Host Plants: Host familiy: Amaranthaceae[Chenopodiaceae] Asteraceae Fabaceae Lamiaceae Malvaceae Poaceae Solanaceae Tropaeolace..  Host genera: Ambrosia Cestrum Chenopodium[unresolved] Cosmos Dysphania Glycine Gossypium Helianthus Malva Mentha ...  Host extended: variety of herbaceous plants, including broad-leaved species & grasses (Powell & Opler 2009); genera...  (Kimberley & Douglas 2025) Similar Species: Pinned specimens of related species. (Hint: select View by Region on the related species page.) Synonymy: ou (Guenée, 1852) (Plusia) - MONA 1983: 8895 fratella (Grote, 1874) (Plusia) ouana (Strand, 1917) (Phytometra) ouella (Strand, 1917) (Phytometra) pedalis (Grote, 1875) (Plusia) tenaculum (Guenée, 1852) (Plusia)

References (Caution: DNA barcoding at BOLD provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; some BOLD specimens shown may not be sequenced.)

Barcode of Life (BOLD) - Caution: Identifications often erroneous; DNA barcode provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; many specimens not sequenced. Hall et al., 2021. The Moths of North Carolina - website (identification, habitats and life history) Lafontaine, J. D. & R. W. Poole, 1991. Moths of America North of Mexico, Fascicle 25.1: p. 58; pl. 1.21-22. order or free PDF Powell, J. A. & P. A. Opler, 2009. Moths of Western North America, Pl. 49.28m; p. 277. Book Review and ordering Shropshire, K.J. & D.W. Tallamy, 2025. Lepidoptera of North America, north of Mexico: an annotated list containing geographic ranges and host-plant records. ZooKeys, 1261: 101-113; Suppl. 1. (PDF or read online) Species Page at BugGuide.Net Species Page at Mass Moths Species Page at Pacific Northwest Moths Species Page at iNaturalist

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