Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Registration is open for the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowse
Info
ImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Owlet Moths and kin (Noctuoidea) » Owlet Moths (Noctuidae) » Cutworm or Dart Moths (Noctuinae) » Apameini » Amphipoea » Interoceanic Ear Moth - Hodges#9456 (Amphipoea interoceanica)

Species Amphipoea interoceanica - Interoceanic Ear Moth - Hodges#9456

Classification · Hodges Number · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Amphipoea interoceanica - male Amphipoea interoceanica - Interoceanic Ear Moth - Hodges#9456 - Amphipoea interoceanica - male Amphipoea interoceanica - Interoceanic Ear Moth - Hodges#9456 - Amphipoea interoceanica - male Amphipoea interoceanica - male
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Noctuoidea (Owlet Moths and kin)
Family Noctuidae (Owlet Moths)
Subfamily Noctuinae (Cutworm or Dart Moths)
Tribe Apameini
Genus Amphipoea
Species interoceanica (Interoceanic Ear Moth - Hodges#9456)
Hodges Number
9456
Other Common Names
Strawberry Cutworm (larva)
Strawberry Cutworm Moth (adult)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
formerly placed in subfamily Amphipyrinae (which currently contains a single genus: Amphipyra)
Explanation of Names
Amphipoea interoceanica (Smith, 1899)
Hydroecia interoceanica Smith, 1899
Size
wingspan: 28-31 mm (Smith, 1899)
slightly smaller than American Ear Moth, which has a wingspan of 28-36 mm
Identification
virtually identical to American Ear Moth (A. americana) but slightly smaller with a stouter body, and the white filling in the reniform spot is limited to the distal two-thirds
Genitalia:
In A. interoceanica, the digitus on the valvae does not extend beyond the tip of the valvae, as it does in A. americana.
Range
mostly inland or "between the oceans" - in Canada from QC west to AB but not coastal provinces of NB or BC (occurs in Nova Scotia however), and adjacent parts of United States
Habitat
commercial strawberry farms; fields, meadows
Season
adults fly in July and August
Food
larvae feed on leaves, stems, and fruit stalks of strawberry (Fragaria spp.) plus grasses and sedges
Life Cycle
eggs are laid in July on dead strawberry leaves; overwinters as an egg, which hatches in spring; larvae feed from May to July; one generation per year
See Also
American Ear Moth (Amphipoea americana) is very similar but slightly larger with a more slender body, and usually an orange-filled reniform spot (compare images of both species)
Print References
Smith, J.B. 1899. Contributions toward a monograph of the Noctuidae of boreal North America. Revision of the genus Hydroecia Gn. Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 26: 17; pl. 1, fg. 4 (male genitalia).
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group (MPG) (1)
The Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) (2)
E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum (3)
Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)(4)
Works Cited
1.North American Moth Photographers Group
2.BOLD: The Barcode of Life Data Systems
3.University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
4.Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)
Contributed by Robin McLeod on 31 January, 2005 - 12:57am
Additional contributions by Steve Nanz, JoAnneRusso, Robert H. Biagi, Steve Morris
Last updated 10 November, 2023 - 10:01am

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact