Brother Moth facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brother Moth
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Noctuidae
Genus:	Raphia
Species:	R. frater
Binomial name
Raphia frater Grote, 1864
Synonyms
Raphia personata (Walker, 1865) Certila flexuosa Walker, 1865 Raphia frater var. coloradensis Putnam-Cramer, 1886 Raphia pallula H. Edwards, 1886 Raphia cinderella Smith, 1903 Raphia elbea Smith, 1908 Raphia piazzi Hill, 1927

The Brother Moth (scientific name: Raphia frater) is a type of moth that belongs to the Noctuidae family. These moths are found across a wide area in North America. They live in the forested parts of Canada, from Nova Scotia all the way to British Columbia. In the eastern United States, you can find them as far south as Mississippi.

This map shows where different types of Brother Moths live. The colors on the map show the different subspecies. The small pictures (a-s) show what these moths look like in different areas.

The Brother Moth has a wingspan of about 33 to 38 millimeters. This is roughly the size of a large paperclip. Adult moths are usually seen flying from May to July. The exact time depends on where they live. There is only one generation of these moths each year.

The young moths, called larvae or caterpillars, mostly eat the leaves of aspen trees. They have also been seen eating other trees like alder, birch, cottonwood, and willow.

Types of Brother Moths

Just like there are different types of dogs, there are different types of Brother Moths. Scientists call these different types subspecies. They are all Brother Moths, but they have small differences and live in different places.

Here are some of the known subspecies of the Brother Moth:

• Raphia frater frater: You can find this type in the central parts of Canada (Prairie Provinces). It also lives in the eastern U.S. near the Great Lakes. In the west, it is found in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest and the Rocky Mountains.
• Raphia frater abrupta: This subspecies lives in states like Maryland, Oklahoma, and Texas.
• Raphia frater cinderella: This type is found in central and southern California. It lives west of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
• Raphia frater coloradensis: This subspecies lives from British Columbia in Canada. It goes south into the mountains of Colorado and Utah. You can also find it northeast in southern Alberta.
• Raphia frater elbea: This type lives in southeastern Utah and western New Mexico. It also goes south through Arizona into northern Mexico.
• Raphia frater piazzi: This subspecies is found in central and southern Texas.