# Black-bordered Lemon Moth

*Marimatha nigrofimbria*

The striking yellow and black pattern provides excellent camouflage when resting among yellow-centered wildflowers or sun-dappled grass.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Noctuidae › Marimatha
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Meadows, old fields, and grassy forest edges.
- **Diet:** Larvae feed on crabgrass (Digitaria species); adults feed on floral nectar.
- **Range:** United States, Southern Canada, Mexico
- **Size:** Wingspan of 18 to 21 mm
- **Lifespan:** 7-14 days as an adult
- **Active:** nocturnal
- **Threats:** Light pollution, habitat fragmentation, and heavy use of lawn herbicides.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. This moth does not bite or sting. If found indoors, gently capture in a jar and release outside. Avoid touching the wings, as the delicate scales are easily damaged.

## About

The Black-bordered Lemon Moth ( Marimatha nigrofimbria ) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Massachusetts westward through northern Ohio to Illinois and Oklahoma and southward to southern Florida and southernmost Texas.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/bdc5e835-dbcd-46c8-82dd-cb3dfcba3505
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/143181
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marimatha nigrofimbria
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/3886718/medium.jpg (Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

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