Pyromorpha dimidiata Herrich-Schäffer, 1854

Orange-patched Smoky Moth

Florida native

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A small moth of deciduous forests and nearby fields of the panhandle and north peninsula. The range includes much of the eastern United States north onto New York and Rhode Island and west into Mississippi, Oklahoma and Missouri.
Having a wingspan of from 18-28mm (7/10 to 1-1/10 in.), the wings are typically held over the abdomen at rest. The base of the forewings are orange except along the inner margin which appears black as does the terminal half of the wing.
The larvae live beneath leaf litter on the forest floor feeding on the underside of fallen oak leaves. Adults feed on nectar. Orange-patched Smoky Moths look very similar to the black-and-yellow lichen moth (Lycomorpha pholus), in the latter Lycomorpha pholus the basal half of the forewing is all yellow, lacking the black band along the inner margin.
Pyromorpha dimidiata appears to be a mimic of the Lycid beetles of the genus Calopteron.

Pyromorpha dimidiata is a member of the Zygaenidae - Leaf Skeletonizer Moths family.

iNaturalist profile for this species

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Bugguide.net page for this species

Date record last modified: Aug 30, 2023