Double-banded Carpet Moth - Spargania magnoliata

Moved

… Jim Moore, 11 July, 2011 - 1:33pm

Look at the genus Lobophora

What was the size? Was the head /thorax area a light greenish color under the darker marks. Also was there a black (dark) ring on the posterior part of the abdomen just ahead of the lighter terminal tuff? Abdomen has distinct dark bands with a triangular white dorsal area.

Two species might fit but this is a tough group ... if one can get to correct genus. Lobophora magnoliatoidata and nivigerata have nearly identical DNA matches to one another.

Good Luck

… Dick Wilson, 25 June, 2010 - 6:40pm

Thanks for your imput!

Thank you for your comments! I have posted three extra photos of this specimen - the most interesting perhaps being the pinned specimen. The wingspan of the pinned specimen is 28mm. In the higher resolution images on my computer I could see no green at all. The additional natural posed photo shows the abdomen a bit better - but I am not certain if it is banded as you mentioned.

In viewing photos of Lobophora species at at "MPG", and of Dysstroma species at at "MPG" I am inclined to lean toward some Dysstroma species.

But there seems to be so many variants of each species within both genus groups that the only positive id may come via DNA analysis - of which this specimen of mine is destined for. I have about five "BOLD insect boxes" full of moth specimens that are still in the process of preparation. Once they are mailed off to the folks at the University of Guelph - then hopefully some positive ID's may be had.

Again, thanks for your input.
(p.s. I have viewed many of your wonderful moth photos during the process of ID'ing many of mine, thanks for those too!)

… Jim Moore, 26 June, 2010 - 2:56pm

If You Plan to Continue Taking These Fine Moth Photos......

.... you might want to consider avoiding much of the frustration in IDing species belonging to difficult western genera by joining several other West Coast moth-ers in the moth DNA effort at the BOLD Barcoding Project.

… Bob Patterson, 15 April, 2010 - 12:58am