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National Moth Week was July 19-27, and the Summer 2025 gathering in Louisiana, July 19-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

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Species Psammopolia arietis - Hodges#10364

946 Lasionycta arietis 10364 - Psammopolia arietis

922 Lasionycta arietis 10364 - Psammopolia arietis

1630 Lasionycta arietis 10364 - Psammopolia arietis

1635 Lasionycta arietis 10364 - Psammopolia arietis

Psammopolia (=Lasionycta) arietis 10364 - Psammopolia arietis

Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)

Superfamily Noctuoidea (Owlet Moths and kin)

Family Noctuidae (Owlet Moths)

Subfamily Noctuinae (Cutworm or Dart Moths)

Tribe Eriopygini

Genus Psammopolia

Species arietis (Psammopolia arietis - Hodges#10364)

Hodges Number

10364

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Psammopolia arietis (Grote, 1879)

original combination Mamestra arietis Grote, 1879; Bull. U.S. Geol. & Geog. Surv. Terr. 5 : 207

Lasionycta arietis

Lasionycta etacta

* phylogenetic sequence #933011

Identification

Adult: forewing light gray with thick white scalloped AM and PM lines bordered in black; reniform and orbicular spots large, pale; fringe checkered; hindwing pale yelllowish-gray with whitish median band; top of head and thorax same color as forewing; top of abdomen same color as hindwing

Range

California to British Columbia; type specimen collected in California

Habitat

Pacific coastal beaches

Season

adults fly from June to September

Food

larvae feed on Silky Beach Pea (Lathyrus littoralis), Coastal Sand Verbena (Abronia latifolia), and Beach Knotweed (Polygonum paronychia)

Internet References

Moth Photographers Group - species page

presence in California; list of 2 specimen records with dates and locations (U. of California at Berkeley)

presence in Oregon; list citing 27 specimens in collection, including locally collected specimens (Oregon State U.)

distribution in Canada British Columbia only (U. of Alberta, using CBIF data)

larval foodplants plus links and references (Markku Savela, FUNET)

habitat; PDF doc (COSEWIC, Canadian Wildlife Service)

author, date, and original genus (nearctica.com)

Contributed by Robin McLeod on 8 July, 2008 - 10:03pm
Additional contributions by Chris Grinter, Randy Hardy, Steve Morris
Last updated 17 December, 2022 - 9:01pm

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