Identification
Visual guide to widespread Renia species of eastern North America.
There are eight widespread species of Renia in eastern North America. Of these, adspergillus, discoloralis, factiosalis, and flavipunctalis are common and widespread, ranging from Texas and Florida to Minnesota and southern Quebec, the last also occurring as far as the Canadian prairie provinces. Two more species, nemoralis and sobrialis, range nearly as widely but are rare. The remaining two species, fraternalis and salusalis, are found throughout the southeast, though the latter may be rarely found in the northeast.
While considerable variation in pattern exists within and between species, Renia typically have forewings with a ground color some shade of brown and are flecked with darker scales to give an often mottled appearance. The AM and PM lines are darker than the ground color and usually prominent. The ST line is lighter than or concolorous with the ground color. It takes roughly the same shape in all species, beginning parallel to the outer margin at the costa, angling inward toward the wing base between veins R5 and M1, back outward from M1 to between M2 and M3, inward from there to Cu2, then outward to the inner margin. It is generally bounded on either side by darker scaling, the variation in the prominence of this scaling along the ST line generally consistent within each species. The ST line and the dark scaling bracketing it are in some species often reduced to a series of spots between veins. A medial band extending from the inner margin part way across the wing is also often prominent. The reniform and orbicular spots are always present, though the latter is occasionally tiny and inconspicuous. Both are typically orange, the reniform usually with a black dot at each end, the two occasionally connected or merged into an arc through the midline of the reniform. In at least a few species, either the reniform or both the reniform and orbicular may rarely be black. In all species, the male has a node on each antenna. In all species except sobrialis, the female has long, porrect palpi with a short, upturned final segment, while males have shorter and recurved palpi.
In this guide, distinguishing characters are listed for each species. The most consistent, useful characters are in bold. The name of each species links to its guide page; links to BOLD BINs are provided for each species as well. Where available, three images are used for each sex of each species and were selected to demonstrate its range in appearance.
Generally unicolorous ground color, medium to dark shade
ST line reduced to a series of dots or concolorous with ground and inconspicuous but for the dark scaling bounding it in places
♂ — Node with notably long hairlike scales (seen as well in salusalis and fraternalis)
♀ — Final segment of palpi usually held parallel
Highly variable in color in both sexes, ranging from light brown to dark red or purple or with contrasting dark medial area
Medial band in lighter specimens bold, almost always at least slightly curved and sometimes strongly so
Significantly larger than all other species
♂
♀ — Final segment of palpi held at angle to each other
Ground color dark in males, lighter and more orange in females; generally with prominent transverse banding
Medial line often inconspicuous; ST line occasionally reduced in dark specimens to a series of light dots
Reniform rarely black
♂
♀ — Final segment of palpi held at angle to each other or parallel
Ground color generally light and pinkish, sometimes also orangish, generally darker between PM and ST lines
Orbicular and reniform spots sometimes black
AM and PM lines smooth, generally bounded laterally by a thin lighter region
♂
♀ — Final segment of palpi held at angle to each other or parallel
Often strong orange coloration
♂ — Some individuals possibly indistinguishable from male adspergillus
No images
♀ — At least some individuals potentially indistinguishable from female salusalis
Highly variable in color, ranging from dark orangish to light pinkish or rarely with contrasting dark medial area
AM line usually smoothly curved; medial line generally weak to inconspicuous
Orbicular and reniform occasionally black
♂
♀ — Final segment of palpi held at angle to each other
Medial band usually prominent; straight and perpendicular to inner margin in females, often curved or angled toward reniform in males
ST line usually reduced to a series of conspicuous white dots, especially in darker individuals
Orbicular spot sometimes black
♂ — Palpi strongly recurved, relatively short and with thick scale tufts
♀ — Final segment of palpi held at angle to each other
Dark ground color
♂ — Node relatively small compared to in the other species here, near midpoint of antenna
♀ — Palpi relatively short compared to in the females of the other species here
Range
Several eastern species and several southwestern species, with little to no overlap in fauna.
Print References
Smith, J. B., 1895.
Contributions Toward A Monograph Of The Insects Of The Lepidopterous Family Noctuidae Of Boreal North America. A Revision Of The Deltoid Moths. Bulletin of the United States National Museum., 48:
65 (1)
Genus description, species descriptions, key to species, etc. - Forbes, 1954. Memoir: Number 329 - Lepidoptera of New York and Neighboring States, Part III,
404 (2) 
