Species Caradrina meralis - Rare Sand Quaker - Hodges#9654

9654

Platyperigea meralis

Jan Metlevski notes here that the former genus Platyperigea was demoted to a subgenus of Caradrina by Hermann Hacker in 2004 (see Print References below)

wingspan 26-30 mm

Adult: forewing medium gray with darker gray reniform and orbicular spots; lines either very faint or not visible; may have darker shading in subterminal area, with pale ST line running through it.

A distinctive element in most individuals of four species in the genus Caradrina is the subterminal buff line (or row of spots) shaded with rich brown on the basal side contrasting with dusky gray on the distal side. A characteristic example is shown here:

This includes C. meralis and C. montana primarily in the w. U.S. Also sharing the subterminal color pattern are C. multifera and C. clavipalpis of the n.e. U.S.

British Columbia to Ontario plus northeastern United States, south in the west to Arizona and California

sandy grassland areas

adults fly in late summer and fall

Rare or threatened in several eastern parts of its range: a species "In Greatest Need of Conservation" in Illinois; threatened in Indiana; S1 in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire; special interest in rare in Ontario. [11/16/18: All of the previous document links were non-functional and have been removed; citations need updating.]

Civil Rustic (Caradrina montana) (1, 2) typically has paler reniform and orbicular spots than on meralis; usually has white dots around the reniform spot, and occurs north to Northwest Territories, Yukon, and probably Alaska.

Hacker, Hermann. 2004. Revision of the genus Caradrina Ochsenheimer, 1816, with notes on other genera of the tribus Caradrini (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae). Esperiana. Vol. 10.

Moth Photographers Group (MPG)

Pacific Northwest Moths