Hypena californica explained

Hypena californica, known generally as the California cloverworm moth or western bomolocha, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

The larvae are food specialists, feeding mainly on the Urtica species, commonly known as nettles.^[5]

The MONA or Hodges number for Hypena californica is 8462.

Distribution & Habitat

Sightings of Hypena californica are mostly concentrated on the West coast of North America, from southern California to southern British Columbia, with some sightings further inland on the western edge of Idaho. Within these areas, California cloverworm moths typically live in coastal rainforests and mixed hardwood forests at relatively low elevations (where they are fairly common), while preferring riparian zones at higher elevations in the mountains.

Economic Importance

Hypena californica has never been, and currently is not, of any economical importance.

Further reading

• Book: Arnett . Ross H.. 2000. American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico. CRC Press..
• Crabo . L. Davis . M. Hammond . P. Mustelin . T. Shepard . J. 2013. Five new species and three new subspecies of Erebidae and Noctuidae (Insecta, Lepidoptera) from Northwestern North America, with notes on Chytolita Grote (Erebidae) and Hydraecia Guenée (Noctuidae). ZooKeys. 264. 85–123. 10.3897/zookeys.264.4304. 23730179. 3668377. free.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Hypena californica species information. BugGuide. 2018-02-07.
2. Web site: Hypena californica report. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 2018-02-07.
3. Web site: Hypena californica Overview. Encyclopedia of Life. 2018-02-07.
4. Web site: North American Moth Photographers Group, Hypena californica. 2018-02-07.
5. Web site: Hypena californica species information. Pacific Northwest Moths. 2018-02-08.