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Species Papaipema baptisiae - Indigo Stem Borer - Hodges#9485

Orange moth - Papaipema baptisiae Papaipema cf. baptisiae - Papaipema baptisiae Papaipema on Angelica, dorsal - Papaipema baptisiae Papaipema on Angelica, spent pupa  - Papaipema baptisiae Papaipema, lateral - Papaipema baptisiae Pennsylvania Moth - Papaipema baptisiae Arizona Moth - Papaipema baptisiae Indigo Stem Borer - Hodges#9485 - Papaipema baptisiae
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 Papaipema (Borer Moths)
Species baptisiae (Indigo Stem Borer - Hodges#9485)
Hodges Number
9485
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Papaipema baptisiae (Bird, 1902)
Hydroecia baptisiae Bird, 1902
Size
Wingspan 35-38 mm.
Identification
Adult - forewing median area dark yellowish-orange with smooth or lustrous appearance; basal area brown; area beyond PM line purplish-brown, except for pale apical patch; basal spots yellowish-orange (same color as median ground color); orbicular and claviform spots large, white; reniform spot has several white pieces around perimeter creating a "patch"; PM line located some distance from reniform patch; hindwing pale yellowish with indistinct discal lunule, darker veins, and darker shading toward outer margin.
Range
Ontario and Quebec to Maryland, west to Illinois and Wisconsin; also reported from Georgia, Oklahoma, and Utah; type specimen collected in Rhode Island.
Season
Adults fly from August to October
Food
Larvae feed on wild indigo (Baptisia spp.), dogbane (Apocynum spp.), and apparently Rugel's Indianplantain (Rugelia nudicaulis), also Angelica atropurpurea (MJ Hatfield)
Life Cycle
larva inside dogbane stem; larva from Angelica atropurpurea, adult; spent pupa
See Also
Umbellifer Borer (Papaipema birdi) is smaller (wingspan 32 mm), forewing has "gritty" or "grainy" overall appearance, cream-colored basal spots; larger and more elongate reniform patch that is wider toward bottom; and PM line is close to -- or sometimes touching -- reniform patch (compare images of both species at CBIF); also see photos of this and numerous related species by Jim Vargo at MPG)
Print References
Bird, Henry. 1902. New histories and species of Hydroecia. The Canadian Entomologist 34(5): 109, Pl. 3