Acsala

Acsala is a monotypic genus of lichen moth in the monotypic subtribe Acsalina of the family Erebidae. Its single species, Acsala anomala, has Hodges number 8104.1^[1] and is known from the US (Alaska) and Canada (Yukon).^[2]

Acsala
Acsala anomala
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Superfamily:	Noctuoidea
Family:	Erebidae
Subfamily:	Arctiinae
Tribe:	Lithosiini
Subtribe:	Acsalina Bendib and Minet, 1999
Genus:	Acsala Benjamin, 1935
Species:	A. anomala
Binomial name
Acsala anomala Benjamin, 1935

Behavior

Eggs are deposited in a single layer on the underside of rocks, in batches of up to thirty, and take eight to ten days to hatch.^[3] Larvae feed on rock-growing lichens, with a strong preference for black foliose and crustose lichens.^[3] Species of Buellia, Lecidea, Orphniospora, Parmelia and Umbilicaria have been recorded as food sources.^[2][3]

Adult males possess weak flight and are day-active; females are flightless and spend much of their time under rocks.^[3]

Appearance

Freshly laid eggs are red-orange, and later turn pale orange.^[3] Larvae have barbed setae.^[3] Adult males have broad wings with a wingspan of 27–28 mm, while adult females possess narrow ("stenopterous") wings.^[2] Wing venation is variable.^[3]

Taxonomy

Acsala anomala and its genus were both first described by Foster H. Benjamin in 1935.^[4][5] Subtribe Acsalina was introduced in 1983 by Franclemont, but remained a nomen nudum until a formal description was given in 1999 by Amel Bendib and Joël Minet.^[2]