Hypocala Moth

Description:

Size: wingspan 43-49 mm, based on two Internet photos at bugguide.net. Adult: forewing brown to gray with diffuse speckling; reniform spot either dark gray or barely noticeable; ST line composed of two joined arcs, touching outer margin at the point where they join; small pale patch may be present in terminal area near anal angle, and also midway along inner margin; hindwing black with large irregular yellow or orange pattern on inner half, and partial terminal band of the same color.

Habitat:

Range: South and Central America, Mexico, and southern United States from California to Florida but apparently most common in Texas. An irregular wanderer farther north, occasionally to mid-latitude states, and rarely to northern states and southern Ontario. Season: adults most often seen in late summer and fall in United States Food: larvae feed on leaves of persimmon (Diospyros spp.) in the tropics.

Notes:

Found last night on the car port ceiling brought in by the porch light. (Last night was moth night.)