Species Lobocleta ossularia - Drab Brown Wave - Hodges#7094

7094

Lobocleta ossularia (Geyer, 1837)

Leptomeris ossularia Geyer, 1837

Wingspan about 13-19 mm.

Adult: forewing grayish-brown with black speckling and four dark brown indistinct lines; PM and subterminal lines slightly wavy, curving slightly toward base near costa; median line usually thicker and more diffuse than other lines; black discal dot often present between AM and median lines; hindwing has similar color and pattern as forewing.

California to Florida, north in the east to New York and Illinois; not yet recorded in Canada.

Adults fly from June to September in California.

HOSTS database includes larval food plants common chickweed (Stellaria media, Caryophyllaceae), species of bedstraw (Galium, Rubiaceae), and beach strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis, Rosaceae).

Straight-lined Wave (Lobocleta plemyraria) forewing lines straighter; PM and subterminal lines do not curve toward base near costa

Lobocleta quaesitata has dark brown wings and occurs in British Columbia, beyond the range of ossularia

(compare images of these and related species by Jim Vargo in Internet References link below)

Moth Photographers Group

live adult image plus dates and larval foodplant (Larry Line, Maryland)

pinned adult images (Bruce Walsh, Moths of Southeastern Arizona)

presence in California; list of 5 specimen records with dates and locations (U. of California at Berkeley)

presence in Florida; list (John Heppner, Florida State Collection of Arthropods)

presence in New York; list (Timothy McCabe, Olive Natural Heritage Society, New York)