Species Leucania phragmitidicola - Phragmites Wainscot - Hodges#10444

10444

Leucania phragmitidicola Guenée, 1852

specific epithet refers to the tall reed Phragmites, presumably a larval foodplant

wingspan about 32 mm, based on photo by Jim Vargo at MPG

Adult: forewing light tan but not uniformly-colored: an indistinct and diffuse pale band runs obliquely from apex to inner margin, surrounded on both sides by slightly darker shading; PM line composed of several dark but inconspicuous dots; main vein running from base to middle of wing is whitish, bordered by thick dark line on inner edge; slightly darker shading along outer margin; hindwing white with no dark border

See Noctuidae of North America (nearctica.com) (1)

Genitalia:

♀

♂

Larvae: see Godfrey, 1972, p. 94 (2) & Wagner, 2011, p. 509 (3)

eastern two-thirds of North America

adults fly from June to October

larvae feed on grasses, presumably including Phragmites species

Leucania linda forewing darker; PM line composed of well-defined crescent of conspicuous black dots

L. linita forewing uniformly-colored; main vein not conspicuously dark-edged

Lesser Wainscot (Mythimna oxygala) forewing uniformly-colored; main vein not conspicuously dark-edged; PM line composed of two dark dots - not several

Scirpus Wainscot (Leucania scirpicola) has not been recorded in Canada, according to CBIF

other species of Leucania have multiple dark/blackish streaks on forewing, absent in L. phragmitidicola

Guenée, 1852 in Boisduval & Guenée, Histoire Naturelle des Insectes. Species Général des Lépidoptéres. Tome Cinquiéme. Noctuélites. Tome 1. 5(1): 89

Hampson, G.F. 1905. Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalænæ in the British Museum. 5: 483

Smith, J.B. 1903. Contributions toward a monograph of the Lepidopterous Family Noctuidae of boreal North America. A revision of the moths referred to the genus Leucania with descriptions of new species. No. 1283. Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 25: 197.

Walker, F.W. 1856. Noctuidae. List of the specimens of lepidopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. 9: 97

Moth Photographers Group (MPG) (4)

The Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) (5)

Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)(6)

Noctuidae of North America (nearctica.com) (1)