Orange Wing
Mellilla xanthometata
Like other geometer moths, their caterpillars are 'inchworms' that perfectly mimic twigs to escape hungry birds.
- Scientific name
- Mellilla xanthometata
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Geometridae › Mellilla
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Deciduous woodlands, forest edges, and parks containing honey locust trees.
- Diet
- Caterpillars feed on the foliage of honey locust trees; adults drink flower nectar.
- Range
- North America, Eastern United States, Great Plains
- Size
- Wingspan of 16-22 mm
- Lifespan
- 1 to 2 months
- Active
- nocturnal
- Threats
- Pesticide spraying, deforestation, and the removal of native host trees in urban landscaping.
- Safe to approach?
- Completely harmless. These fragile moths are safe to observe at any distance. Avoid handling them directly, as touching their wings can rub off the delicate scales they need for flight.
Mellilla is a monotypic moth genus in the family Geometridae erected by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1873. Its only species, Mellilla xanthometata , the orangewing moth , was first described by Francis Walker in 1862. It is found in most of eastern North America.
Photo: Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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