Species Apamea scoparia - Hodges#9365

9365

described as a new species in the year 2000 by Mustelin et al

formerly thought to be conspecific with the Palearctic Apamea lateritia (=Agroperina lateritia), known in Europe as the Scarce Brindle [Apamea lateritia was described in 1766 by Hufnagel, who originally placed it in the genus Phalaena]

Neither Apamea lateritia nor Agroperina lateritia appear on the All-Leps checklist of North American lepidoptera.

wingspan about 43 mm, based on photo by Jim Vargo at MPG

Adult: forewing dull reddish-brown; upper half of reniform spot filled with ground color, lower half dark gray to blackish, and distal edge with pale scales, including two converging small whitish ovals in lower corner of reniform spot; PM line faint, dark, toothed; subterminal line indistinct, pale, irregular; dark scaling along veins; hindwing dirty gray, darker toward outer margin, with dark veins and diffuse discal lunule; fringe dull yellow

Newfoundland to British Columbia and adjacent northern states, north to Northwest Territories, Yukon, and perhaps Alaska, south in the west to California and Utah

adults fly from June to September in Alberta

The authors of the Print Reference cited below are listed as Mustelin, Leuschner, Mikkola, and Lafontaine at the following sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

For some reason, the name of the senior author is switched to "Mikkola", and Leuschner's name is omitted from the citation at ICZN, and the species' author names at All-Leps, CBIF, and U. of Alberta.

The Hodges Number for Apamea scoparia is given as 9384.31 in this PDF doc by Macaulay and Pohl. Since the Hodges Number 9365 was assigned to the North American species now recognized as Apamea scoparia, that number should be retained, rather than creating a new Hodges number for this species.

Apamea apamiformis forewing has a dark anal dash extending to the PM line, a dark claviform spot, and no reddish tint; A. cogitata and A. dubitans forewings have a pale reniform spot (compare images of all 4 species at CBIF)

the dark form of Apamea amputatrix (formerly considered a distinct species, Apamea castanea) also has two converging small whitish ovals in lower corner of reniform spot, but its forewing is much darker than A. scoparia, and lacks a reddish tint (compare images of both species at CBIF)

Mustelin, T., R.H. Leuschner, K. Mikkola, and J.D. Lafontaine. 2000. Two new genera and thirteen new species of owlet moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), mainly from southern California. Proc. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist. (36):1-18.

pinned adult image (CBIF)

pinned adult image by G.G. Anweiler, and flight season in Alberta (Strickland Entomological Museum, U. of Alberta)

9 pinned adult images (All-Leps)

pinned adult image plus photos of related species by Jim Vargo (Moth Photographers Group)

pinned adult image labeled as "Agroperina lateritia" (California Dept. of Food and Agriculture)

pinned adult image labeled as "Apamea lateritia" (Insects of Quebec)

distribution in Canada list of provinces and territories (U. of Alberta, using CBIF data)

presence in Utah listed as "Agroperina lateritia" (Joel Johnson, Utah Lepidopterists Society)

presence in Oregon listed as "Agroperina lateritia" (Oregon State U.)

presence in California listed as "Agroperina lateritia" (U. of California at Berkeley)

links to images of the Palearctic species Apamea lateritia (Markku Savela, FUNET)