Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Seeboldia incanella (Hulst, 1895)
Sarata incanella (Hulst, 1895)
Epischnia incanella Hulst, 1895
Megasis aridella Dyar, 1905
Explanation of Names
Aridella => Arid (L) = dry + ella (L) = small
Incanella => incan (L) = antique + ella (L) = small
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
CO: no location; UT: Tooele Co.; CA: Inyo
(1), Kern, Los Angeles, Placer, & Riverside Cos. (
UC Berkeley)
Season
adults may be active all year in California
Food
unknown, but larvae of a related species (
Megasis tephrella) almost certainly feed on
Big Sagebrush (
Artemisia tridentata)
Print References
Neunzig, H.H., 2003. The Moths of America North of Mexico, Fascicle 15.5. The Wedge Entomological Research Foundation: 213; pl. 10.25.
(1)
Hulst, G.D., 1895. Descriptions of Some New Species of Epipaschiinæ and Phycitidæ. Canadian Entomologist 27(3):
56.
Ferris, C.D. & J.S. Nordin, 2004. Taxonomic Note on
Sarata tephrella Ragonot (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea: Pyralidae: Phycitinae). Zootaxa 569:
1–7.
Dyar, H.G., 1905. New North American Lepidoptera and Synonymical Notes. Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington 7(1):
35–36.
(2)