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Photo#13749
Northern Arches - Drasteria hudsonica

Northern Arches - Drasteria hudsonica
Square Butte, Little Missouri National Grassland, Golden Valley County, North Dakota, USA
May 14, 2004

*Probably* Drasteria hudsonica, but see Caveats
I sent this photo to Gerald Fauske, probably the foremost expert on the Moths of the Dakotas. Here is his response:

"There are two possibilities: Drasteria hudsonica and D. adumbrata. Before I discuss both, the usual caveats: First, without the specimen in hand, such niceties as leg spinulation, ventral surface pattern and genitalia are not available for study. Second, all that is visible of the hw in this photo is a sliver between the post cubital fold and A1-- just enough to show the ground color of the wing and rule out the Melipotis species with a similar fw pattern, but not enough to use hw characters that might more easily distinguish the two Drasteria.

Both of these species are tremendously variable in the Dakotas and I have collected each of them along with three other Drasteria species in ND on many occasions. D. hudsonica 'heathi' varies in color from specimens more contras tingly marked than that in the photo, i. e. the antemedial line black and extending to the inner margin, the brown of the antemedial area replaced mostly by white, to specimens with the fw predominately gray with all markings faded. D. adumbrata alleni occurs only with the highly contrasting color pattern and has very dark brown scales sprinkled throughout the ground color such that the moth appears overall much more brown. Also, D. adumbrata always has the antemedial line complete and black from costa to inner margin as well as slightly bent proximad near the inner margin. In D. hudsonica the line varies and can be little darker than the fw ground color, as in this specimen, to solid and black as in D. adumbrata, but here, the line runs slightly outwardly oblique to the inner margin.

Without the specimen in hand, I call this moth Drasteria hudsonica for the following reasons:
1. Overall fw color is pallid gray rather than brownish.
2. Antemedial line runs slightly outwardly oblique to the inner margin.
3. Antemedial line is not marked with black scales throughout its length.

The overall problem is simply that moths are not 'field guide' animals such as birds, and it is not possible to identify many moths from even the best photographs-- and this is a good photograph.

Jerry"

[Dr. Gerald Fauske, collection manager, NDSIRC]

 
Drasteria hudsonica
That is no doubts Drasteria hudsonica.

 
Thanks for the reminder
It's difficult to be 100 percent certain on the ID of many moth photos but hudsonica seems like a good bet for this one, based on the points noted by Gerald Fauske in Bob's comment above. Image moved from genus page to new species page.

Noctuidae - Catocalinae
I didn't notice any "dead ringers" but there's a number of similar-looking Drasteria species on this MPG page, and there's probably some variation among individuals.

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