Other Common Names
Cattail Caterpillar (larva)
Henry's Marsh Moth (adult)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Simyra insularis (Herrich-Schäffer, 1868)
* polygenetic sequence #931493
Numbers
The only
Simyra species found in America north of Mexico.
(1)
Two subspecies: S. i. insularis and S. i. julitae were once recognized.
Identification
Adult: forewing narrow and pointed; white with brown filling between veins; three dark brown streaks extend inward from outer margin, shortest streak near apex
[the above description by Charles Covell presumably refers to subspecies S. i. insularis]
adults with uniformly light brown forewings from the southeast (Georgia, Florida) may be subspecies S. i. julitae - verification needed at BugGuide
Larva: body white with broad black dorsal stripe and mottled black-and-white lateral stripe; bright orange knobs containing tufts of medium-length hair form a band around middle of each abdominal segment
Range
coast to coast throughout United States and southern Canada
Habitat
marsh edges, wooded riverbanks, generally any damp area where larval foodplants grow; adults are nocturnal and attracted to light
Season
adults fly from April to September
Food
larvae feed on cattail (Typha spp.), smartweed (Polygonum spp.), grasses, sedges, poplar, willow
Life Cycle
Click on an image to view the life cycle:
Print References
Powell, J. A., and P. A. Opler 2009. Moths of Western North America. pl. 50.45.; p. 283.
(2)
Lafontaine J. D., and B. C. Schmidt 2010. Annotated check list of the Noctuoidea (Insecta, Lepidoptera) of North America North of Mexico. p. 52.
(1)Internet References
Moth Photographers Group - range map, photos of living and pinned adults.
BOLD - Barcode of Life Data Systems - species account with collection map and photos of pinned adults.
adult image and larval foodplants (Larry Line, Maryland)
pinned adult image of uniformly light brown individual [subspecies
julitae?] (James Adams, Dalton State College, Georgia)
common name reference [Henry's Marsh Moth], plus larval foodplants and flight season (Ohio State U.)
distribution in Canada all provinces except Newfoundland and PEI (U. of Alberta, using CBIF data)
