# Black-dotted Glyph

*Maliattha synochitis*

When resting, its marbled green, white, and black wing patterns mimic bird droppings or lichen, rendering it virtually invisible to predators.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Noctuidae › Maliattha
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Deciduous woodlands, forest edges, and grassy clearings.
- **Diet:** Caterpillars feed on various wild grasses (Poaceae family); adults feed on floral nectar.
- **Range:** Eastern North America, United States, Southern Canada
- **Size:** Wingspan of 18 to 21 mm.
- **Lifespan:** 1 to 2 months as an active adult; up to 1 year including overwintering pupal stage.
- **Active:** nocturnal
- **Threats:** Light pollution disrupting mating and navigation, habitat fragmentation, and broad-spectrum pesticide use.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. These tiny moths are entirely safe to observe up close. They are frequently attracted to artificial outdoor lights at night; if one enters your home, gently cup it and release it back into the wild. They do not bite, sting, or possess any harmful toxins.

## About

Maliattha synochitis , known generally as the black-dotted maliattha or black-dotted lithacodium , is a species of owlet moth in the family Noctuidae. It is found in North America.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/b9861c8f-7703-4f5e-abfd-ddc9af13b4c5
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/211012
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maliattha synochitis
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/81859433/medium.jpg (brendanboyd, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.