Species Leucania insueta - Hodges#10449

10449

Heterodox wainscot, Darted Wainscot

First described in 1852 by Achille Guénée as Leucania insueta

4 subspecies listed at All-Leps: L. i. dia; heterodoxa; insueta; megadia

wingspan 32-35 mm, based on two Internet photos

Adult: forewing light brownish-yellow with brown shading between pale veins; dark brown shading on either side of pale Cu vein and in subterminal area; postmedial (PM) line composed of several dark dots in lower three-quarters, usually coalescing into thin curved line in upper quarter; pale grayish strip along costa from base to PM line; two pale triangular patches encroach upon subterminal area, one angling toward midpoint of outer margin, and the other angling toward apex; beyond these patches, the pale veins stand out against the dark brown shading; hindwing dirty white basally, shading to gray at outer margin; fringe pale yellowish

Newfoundland to New England and Virginia, west to New Mexico and California, north to Yukon and Alaska

dry forest clearings and roadsides; adults are nocturnal and come to light and bait

adults fly from late May to August

larvae feed on brome (Bromus spp.), Quackgrass (Elymus repens), and Orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata)

two generations per year

Leucania scirpicola lacks dark brown shading in subterminal area, lacks pale grayish strip along costa, lacks curved upper quarter of PM line, and has a more southern distribution (doesn't occur in Canada)

L. latiuscula has indistinct veins, lacks contrast in subterminal area, and has a more southern distribution (doesn't occur in Canada)

Moth Photographers Group (MPG)

Pacific Northwest Moths

Barcode of Life (BOLD)

foodplants; PDF doc plus flight season and life cycle (Macrolepidoptera of Mont Saint-Hilaire Region, McGill U., Quebec)

presence in Arizona; pinned adult image (Bruce Walsh, Moths of Southeastern Arizona)

presence in California; list (U. of California at Berkeley)

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

North American distribution; PDF doc and habitat (J.D. Lafontaine and D.M. Wood, Butterflies and Moths of the Yukon)

Nearctica.com    Systematics on the Fly species account

Histoire Naturelle des Insectes. Species General des Lepidopteres, V: Noctuelites, v.1, p.81    Guénée's original description of the species