Species Drasteria hudsonica - Northern Arches - Hodges#8632

Classification · Hodges Number · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · See Also · Internet References

Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)

No Taxon (Moths)

Superfamily Noctuoidea

Family Erebidae

Subfamily Catocalinae

Tribe Melipotini

Genus Drasteria

Species hudsonica (Northern Arches - Hodges#8632)

Hodges Number

8632

Numbers

three subspecies: the nominate subspecies D. h. hudsonica, plus heathi and seposita

Size

wingspan 35-36 mm, based on photos by Jim Vargo at MPG

Identification

Adult: forewing mottled shades of gray with pale whitish-gray median and subterminal areas; median area often chestnut brown; AM and PM lines variably black to light gray; AM line runs slightly outwardly oblique to the inner margin (rather than curving back toward the base, as in D. adumbrata); prairie populations dimorphic, with females having a relatively uniform unbanded light gray forewing; hindwing variably pale creamy white to yellow with wavy black medial and terminal bands; black discal crescent joined to medial band

Range

Alaska and Yukon to California, east to New Mexico and Manitoba

Habitat

in or near dry open coniferous woods; adults are active in the day but also come to light

Season

adults fly in June in the north (Alberta); earlier southward

Food

larvae feed on leaves of Russet Buffaloberry (Shepherdia canadensis)

See Also

Shadowy Arches (Drasteria adumbrata) forewing ground colour usually brown rather than gray, and hindwing tends to be more orange rather than pale cream, but there is considerable overlap among individuals and subspecies, so these are only generalities; a more reliable feature is the AM line, which curves basally near the inner margin in adumbrata, but continues on an outward slant in hudsonica (compare images of both species at CBIF)

also see other Drasteria species at MPG

Internet References

pinned adult image of paler individual (CBIF)

pinned adult images of darker individuals by Jim Vargo (Moth Photographers Group)

US distribution map (Moths of North America, USGS)

description plus habitat, foodplant, common name reference, flight season, distribution, similar species (Strickland Entomological Museum, U. of Alberta)

distribution in Canada list of provinces and territories (CBIF)

subspecies plus foodplant and references (Markku Savela, FUNET)

Contributed by Robin McLeod on 29 April, 2006 - 10:10pm

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