Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Sarata incanella (Hulst, 1895)
Original Name:
Epischnia incanella (Hulst, 1895)
Junior Synonym:
Sarata aridella (Dyar, 1905)
Explanation of Names
Aridella => Arid (L) = dry + ella (L) = small
Incanella => incan (L) = antique + ella (L) = small
Numbers
one of 20 species in this genus in North America listed at
All-LepsSize
wingspan about 26 mm, based on photo by Jim Vargo at MPG
Identification
Adult: FW slender, heavily speckled with black, white, gray, and some brownish scales • Indistinct blackish spot in AM area near inner margin, preceded by diffuse, white crescent • two indistinct blackish spots, near middle of distal area, near anal angle, also margined by whitish scales • Several fine black longitudinal lines in subterminal area, continuing basally along veins, reducing in number to 2 or 3 at base • thin dark subterminal line runs parallel to and very close to terminal line, with black dots on both sides • HW very broad, dirty white to light gray, with pale semitransparent fringe
Range
California, Utah, and probably adjacent states
Season
adults may be active all year in California
Food
unknown, but larvae of a related species (
Sarata tephrella) almost certainly feed on
Big Sagebrush (
Artemisia tridentata)
See Also
compare images of 2 other
Sarata species at All-Leps, and
see images of numerous related species/genera by Jim Vargo at MPG
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group – images of live and pinned adults
Canadian Entomologist v.27 p. 56 Original description of the species
Taxonomic note on Sarata tephrella Ragonot; PDF doc species account, including photos, habitat, seasonality, and presumed larval foodplant (Clifford Ferris and John Norton, Zootaxa, 2004, mapress.com)
presence in Utah; list (Joel Johnson, Utah Lepidopterists Society)
presence in California; list of 5 specimen records with dates and locations (U. of California at Berkeley)