Species Mythimna oxygala - Lesser Wainscot - Hodges#10436

10436

Bog Grass Moth

Mythimna oxygala (Grote, 1881)

Heliophila oxygala Grote, 1881

Leucania minorata Smith, 1894

Leucania rubripallens Smith, 1902

Leucania oxygala

Adult: FW uniformly light tan or yellowish, evenly striated with thin brown lines between veins and three black spots arranged in triangular pattern in middle of wing. Whitish streak extending through central median area, diverges at black reniform spot. ST is accentuate with two black dots. HW dirty white with dark streaks along veins in middle of wing (a diagnostic feature)

Larvae: see Godfrey, 1972, p. 87 (1) & Wagner, 2011, p. 508 (2)

much of North America, including Northwest Territories; absent from Alaska, Yukon, Nunavut, and the southeastern states

fields, meadows, open grassy areas; adults are nocturnal and attracted to light

adults fly from April to October

larvae feed on grasses, sedges, and chickory

two or three generations per year

The genus Aletia has been dissolved. The two North American species formerly in this genus are now included in Mythimna (see taxonomic notes by Lafontaine and Troubridge).

More uniformly colored than most Leucania species, and the forewing's triangular pattern of three black spots is a good field mark (compare images of several Leucania species in western Canada and in eastern Canada)

Grote, A.R. 1881. North American moths. The Canadian entomologist. 13: 14

Lafontaine, D. & J. Troubridge, 2003. Taxonomic notes on North American Noctuidae, 1 Impact of "Noctuae Europae 4, Hadeninae 1"

Moth Photographers Group (MPG) (3)

The Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) (4)

Pacific Northwest Moths (PNM) (5)

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

common name reference [Bog Grass Moth] plus foodplants and flight season (Ohio State U.)

common name reference [Lesser Wainscot] (Charles Bird, Moths of the Gaetz Lakes Sanctuary, Alberta)