The Spanish Moth or Convict Caterpillar (Xanthopastis timais) is a moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

 of the Noctuidae

Noctuidae

The Noctuidae or owlet moths are a family of robustly-built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera. They constitute the largest family in the Lepidoptera....

 family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

. It is found throughout the lowland areas of South

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

 and Central America

Central America

Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

 and in the Caribbean

Caribbean

The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

. In the south, it ranges to northern Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

. It was previously also recorded from North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, but these records refer to Xanthopastis regnatrix

Xanthopastis regnatrix

Xanthopastis regnatrix is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It occurs in North America, where it is found from North Carolina and South Carolina to Texas and south to Florida. Strays have been recorded as far north as coastal New York, and inland as far north as Kentucky and Arkansas.-Taxonomy:The...

.
The wingspan

Wingspan

The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...

 is 39-45 mm. Adults have rosy-pink and black forewings, spotted with orange along the wing veins. The hindwings are gray. In Florida, adults are on wing from January to early June and again from September to December.

The larvae feed on Amaryllidaceae

Amaryllidaceae

Amaryllidoideae is the subfamily of flowering plants that takes its name from the genus Amaryllis. It is part of the family Amaryllidaceae, in order Asparagales...

, Iridaceae

Iridaceae

The Iris family or Iridaceae is a family of perennial, herbaceous and bulbous plants included in the monocot order Asparagales, taking its name from the genus Iris. Almost worldwide in distribution and one of the most important families in horticulture, it includes more than 2000 species...

 and Liliaceae

Liliaceae

The Liliaceae, or the lily family, is a family of monocotyledons in the order Liliales. Plants in this family have linear leaves, mostly with parallel veins but with several having net venation , and flower arranged in threes. Several have bulbs, while others have rhizomes...

 species, including Amaryllis

Amaryllis

Amaryllis is a small genus of flowering bulbs, with two species. The better known of the two, Amaryllis belladonna, is a native of South Africa, particularly the rocky southwest region near the Cape...

, Clivia

Clivia

Clivia is a genus of monocot flowering plants native to southern Africa. They are from the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Common names include Kaffir lily and bush lily....

, Cooperia

Cooperia

Cooperia is a genus of tender herbaceous perennials native to South America and the southern reaches of North America. They are closely related to Zephyranthes and Habranthus, all members of the Amaryllidaceae, or Amaryllis family. All three genera are commonly known as rain lilies because of...

, Eucharis

Eucharis (plant)

Eucharis is a genus of about 15-20 species of monocotyledonous plants in the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae, native to Central America and South America from Guatemala south to Bolivia.-Description:...

, Haemanthus

Haemanthus

Haemanthus is a Southern African genus of Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae, with some 22 known species, endemic to South Africa, Namibia and the kingdoms of Lesotho and Swaziland...

, Hippeastrum

Hippeastrum

Hippeastrum is a genus of about 90 species and 600+ hybrids and cultivars of bulbous plants in the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas from Argentina north to Mexico and the Caribbean. Some species are grown for their large...

, Hymenocallis

Hymenocallis

Hymenocallis is a genus of plants in the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. It contains more than 60 species native to tropical and subtropical America. Hymenocallis are bulbous perennial herbs. The flowers have their stamens united to a characteristic corona...

, Narcissus, Pancratium, Polianthes

Polianthes

Polianthes is a genus of plants in family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. It includes tuberose , a plant that is commonly used in perfume making...

, Zephyranthes

Zephyranthes

Zephyranthes is a genus of 71 species in the Amaryllis family . There are numerous hybrids and cultivars. Common names for species in this genus include fairy lily, rainflower, zephyr lily, magic lily, Atamasco lily, and rain lily.The name is derived from Ζέφυρος , the Greek god of the west...

, Iris

Iris (plant)

Iris is a genus of 260-300species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species...

, Crinum

Crinum

Crinum is a genus of about 180 species of perennial plants that have large showy flowers on leafless stems, and develop from bulbs. They are found along the sides of streams and lakes in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide, including South Africa....

, Leucojum and Lilium

Lilium

Lilium is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs. Most species are native to the temperate northern hemisphere, though the range extends into the northern subtropics...

species. They feed gregariously on leaves, bulbs and rhizomes of the host plants.