Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Apamea helva – (Grote, 1875)
formerly Agroperina helva, and formerly placed in subfamily Amphipyrinae
Numbers
64 species of
Apamea are found in America north of Mexico
(a)Identification
Adult: forewing dull orangish-yellow with broken gray lines and three gray patches: at costa above reniform spot, in lower half of reniform spot, and near apex; subterminal line broken near costa (a distinctive feature); hindwing grayish-brown with dark dots along orangish-yellow outer margin
[adapted from description by Charles Covell]
Range
New Brunswick to Georgia, west to Oklahoma and Colorado, north to Saskatchewan
Season
adults fly from July to September
Food
larvae feed on sod grasses
See Also
Bicolored Sallow (
Sunira bicolorago) is similar but forewing subterminal line is continuous from inner margin to costa, and the moth flies from September to November/December (
compare images of both species at CBIF)
Print References
Lafontaine JD, Schmidt BC (2010) Annotated check list of the Noctuoidea (Insecta, Lepidoptera) of North America North of Mexico.
P. 74 (a) (PDF download)
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group - species account with photos of living and pinned adults.
BOLD - Barcode of Life Data Systems - species account with photographs of pinned adults and DNA sequence
Moth Photographers Group - photo of pinned adult and related species.
pinned adult image (James Adams, Dalton State College, Georgia)
distribution in Canada list of provinces (U. of Alberta, using CBIF data)
