Other Common Names
Noctuelle du salsifis - En français… Ilze V-G.
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Amphipyra tragopoginis (Clerck, 1759)
Explanation of Names
TRAGOPOGINIS: from the larval host, Oyster Plant (Tragopogon porrifolius) and the two species of Goat's-beard with which Oyster Plant hybridizes (T. pratensis, T. dubius)
Size
Forewing length 16-18 mm.
(1)Identification
Adult: forewing highly reflective and uniformly dark grayish-brown with triangular pattern of three black spots near middle of wing
hindwing whitish at base, shading gradually to medium brown at outer margin
Larva: body slender, smooth, green, with prominent white dorsal and lateral lines
Range
Found inland from Pacific and Atlantic coasts.
Season
Most adult records are June to October.
Food
The larvae feed on flowers, seeds, and leaves of Oyster Plant and Goat's-beard (Tragopogon spp.) plus columbine, dogbane, geranium, hawthorn, plantain, and a number of other low plants.
Remarks
This species has a Holarctic distribution and might have been introduced into North America from Europe (Forbes 1954).
(3)