Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
formerly Apamea finitima
Explanation of Names
RUSTIC SHOULDER-KNOT: "shoulder-knot" refers to the black dash at the base of the forewing; "rustic" comes from the Latin "rus" (country) - perhaps a reference to the open grassland habitat of this species, although the term "rustic moth" also refers to any noctuid moth, according to Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
Identification
Adult: forewing grayish to brownish with slightly darker reddish-brownish median area; prominent black basal dash; claviform spot a black loop extending outward from AM line; orbicular and reniform spots large, pale, black-rimmed; reniform spot with blackish area at lower end; diffuse reddish medial line sometimes visible
hindwing pale basally, shading to grayish-brown distally
*
Apamea sordens and
A. digitula can only be separated by DNA. (California and Oregon)
(1)
Larva: pale yellowish-brown with cream-colored dorsal stripe and broken blackish lateral line; head dark reddish-brown on the sides, and yellowish-brown on top, with 2 black dorsolateral lines
Range
coast to coast in southern Canada and northern United States, south in the east to Virginia, south in the west to Utah and California
also occurs throughout Eurasia
Season
adults fly from May to July/August
Food
larvae feed on leaves of grains (barley, corn, oats, rye, wheat, wild rice) and various grasses and sedges
Life Cycle
overwinters as a larva; one generation per year
Remarks
This species was listed as Apamea finitima and called Bordered Apamea in the 1984 edition of Charles Covell's Guide to Moths. The North American moth has since been shown to be the same species as the Eurasian Apamea sordens, widely known in Europe as Rustic Shoulder-knot.
See Also
*
Apamea sordens and
A. digitula can only be separated by DNA. (California and Oregon)
(1)Print References
Lafontaine J. D., and B. C. Schmidt 2010. Annotated check list of the Noctuoidea (Insecta, Lepidoptera) of North America North of Mexico.
(2)
Internet References
recorded food plants and other info (wikipedia.org)