Species Euxoa obeliscoides - Obelisk Dart - Hodges#10817

10817

Euxoa obeliscoides (Guenée, 1852)

Agrotis obeliscoides Guenée, 1852

Phylogenetic sequence # 933428 (1)

Forewing length 14-18 mm.

forewing with dirty white strip along costa from base to reniform spot; an adjacent black strip provides a contrasting background for the large pale yellowish reniform and orbicular spots; claviform spot cone-shaped, dark gray; medium gray triangular area along inner margin tapers from base to near anal angle; subterminal area pale gray (or reddish-brown in female [?]); terminal band medium gray with jagged inner margin and slightly paler patch at apex; top of thorax with large pale central patch surrounded by darker area

hindwing white with diffuse gray terminal band (or solid brownish-gray, slightly darker distally in female [?])

Genitalia:

British Columbia to Quebec and Maine, south in the east to New England and Illinois, south in the west to California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas

sandy pine forest, dry aspen parkland, riparian cottonwood stands

adults fly from July to September

larval food plant(s) unknown

one generation per year; overwinters as an egg

extremely similar to - and indistinguishable from photos of - E. oberfoelii, which occurs in southern Saskatchewan and North Dakota

superficially resembles Flame-shouldered Dart (Ochropleura implecta) but that species has small dark reniform and orbicular spots, and a more uniformly dark brown forewing

Guenée, 1852. Noctuidae 1: 293, 477.

Moth Photographers Group (2)

Pacific Northwest Moths (3)

The Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) (4)

Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA) (5)

The E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum (6)

live adult imagesplus description and flight season (Lynn Scott, Ontario)

Moths of Dallas County, Texas (7)