Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Heliodines ionis Clarke 1952
Size
forwing length 3.6 - 5.2 mm
(1)Identification
Adults - see Hsu and Powell's description
(1). Adult does NOT raise its hind legs in repose
Thorax: Metallic gray to black.
Wings: Forewing, except base entirely orange. Base metallic gray to black, with an irregular border, sometimes appearing as an additional metallic gray spot. Five raised metallic gray oblong spots along outside (costal) edge and 3 raised metallic gray spots along inner margin from mid-wing to anal angle. Fringe gray, metallic whitish along inner edge to anal angle. Hindwing black with gray fringe.
Range
Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania
(1); Ontario
Season
Mid-June to mid-July in the north.
Food
Larva is stem borer of (at least) Wild Four O'clocks
Mirabilis nyctaginea according to
microleps.org.
Life Cycle
Female deposits pinkish-orange eggs on side of axillary buds. Larva enter stems and tunnel down. Larvae has 6 instars if over-wintering, 5 if not. Pupates in the stem. Over-winters as half-grown larvae. Larvae are waxy, whitish with dark head and collar (cervical shield). Mature larvae have spotted abdomens, and just before pupating, they become entirely yellow. Pupate in tunnel after 25 days. 3 generations per year in Illinois, probably only 1 or 2 in Ontario.
Remarks
Types:
Holotype as Heliodines ionis male by Clarke, 1952. Type Locality: Illinois. In the United States National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian, Washington, D.C. Type #61496.
See Also
All others have white antenna tips:
Neoheliodines cliffordi has a wide black stripe from thorax tip to first set of metallic silver spots and black, irregular-shaped wing tip.
Chrysoclista villella has outer (costal) half of base of wing black. 1st silver spot on inner margin has black tuft. White spot on costal fringe.
Chrysoclista linneella has orange wing colour surrounded with black; 3 silvery spots.
Mompha terminella has dark wing tips and black tufts at mid-wing.
Euclemensia bassettella has a wide black inner margin from mid-wing to tip. Antenna last 1/3 white.
Neoheliodines nyctaginella (not in Ontario) has a black line around tip of thorax (technically inner margin of wing base). Except for white antenna tips, almost identical to Embola ionis.
Print References
Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 1952, Vol. 54 #3 by Clarke, pg. 138.
Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 1956, Vol. 58 #1 by Webster, pp. 43-46.
University of California Publications, Entomology, 2005, Vol. 124 by Hsu & Powell, pp. 58 to 60.
