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Lasionycta uniformis - Hodges#10346 (Lasionycta uniformis)
Photo#2414234
Copyright © 2024
Chloe and Trevor Van Loon
Lasionycta -
Lasionycta uniformis
Grizzly Lake, Trinity County, California, USA
August 4, 2024
iNat post:https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/234273978
Images of this individual:
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Contributed by
Chloe and Trevor Van Loon
on 30 October, 2024 - 10:58am
Last updated 2 November, 2024 - 12:13pm
MPG
Added to MPG, thanks!
…
Steve Nanz
, 8 November, 2024 - 11:56am
Moved
Moved from
ID Request
.
Several other species are very similar, but after going over the info here and the plates on MPG, BOLD and PNW MOTHS, this is the only thing that I cannot rule out. Some of the closest look-alikes are not known to reach California.
PNW MOTHs states that "
Isolated populations are found on Mt. Shasta in northern California
". I'm pretty sure that is very close to where you found it.
This species is quite variable. So, I expect that many examples will go unidentified for a long time, until DNA or expert analysis can sort them out. This one has a particularly bold pattern, with a little bit of orange colored highlights.
I will ask a few experts to double-check it. Some similar species are listed on the info page, but I would add to that
Lasionycta sierra
,
Lasionycta macleani
and
Lasionycta discolor
. (not known from your location)
Here is a note from
Lars Crabo
:
Bob,
Lasionycta
without a doubt. I think it's
uniformis
, subspecies
shasta
. There are not a lot of them in collections, and all specimens of the California subspecies are from Panther Meadows on Mt Shasta. This moth also looks a bit like a very colorful specimen of
Lasionycta luteola
(as found in SW British Columbia), but
L luteola
is not known from much south of the border with Canada. The little we can see of the hindwing is also more like that of
L uniformis
. As far as the other choices like
L sierrae
they have a brown rather than gray groundcolor. Jim Troubridge and I collected in the high Sierra near Tioga Pass many years ago. We got
sierrae
there, but no
uniformis
.
[(...that far south, near Yosemite)]
Hope that helps.
Lars
…
Bob Biagi
, 2 November, 2024 - 12:13pm