Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Zanclognatha bryanti
see Remarks section below for discussion of names and status
Identification
Adult: forewing brown with dark jagged AM and PM lines, and pale straight subterminal line; distal third of wing noticeably darker than basal two-thirds in fresh individuals; reniform spot represented by a dark V-shaped or crescent-shaped marking; terminal line a series of dark dashes; hindwing slightly paler than forewing and lacks noticeable AM and PM lines.
See description
here at Pacific Northwest Moths.
Range
British Columbia to Oregon
Remarks
Hodges #8353.1
The classification of this species seems unsettled at the moment. It was apparently considered a subspecies of
Z. ochreipennis at one time, and given the Hodges number 8353a, according to
this site. It may also have been treated as
Z. jacchusalis in the past: that name appears on the 1998 Macro-moths of British Columbia list by Lafontaine and Troubridge
here, but is missing from the 2003 Noctuoidea of Western Canada list (also by Lafontaine and Troubridge)
here. I suspect that the name "jacchusalis" has been replaced in the west by
Z. bryanti, and the 30 specimens of "jacchusalis" recorded on the
Oregon State list presumably also belong to this species.
Update (2009):
From MPG:
"It has been determined that this moth should be treated instead as a western subspecies (southwestern British Columbia and northwestern Washington) of Zanclognatha lutalba (Smith, 1906), a species that ranges from Nova Scotia to eastern British Columbia (and southward in the Appalachians to North Carolina and in the Rocky Mountains to New Mexico).
...
These changes (without mention of Hodges numbering) were published by J. D. Lafontaine and M. R. Honey in Lepidoptera Novae, 2(1): 41-43 (2009) in a paper titled 'Taxonomic Changes to the Names Zanclognatha jacchusalis and Z. ochreipennis.'"
See summary of revision
here.
Update (2013):
ZooKeys 264: 227-236 (06 Feb 2013) - J. Donald Lafontaine & Christian Schmidt, "Additions and corrections to the check list of the Noctuoidea (Insecta, Lepidoptera) of North America north of Mexico.":
"Zanclognatha jacchusalis – The species is widely distributed in eastern United States and occurs as far west as Arizona. It is characterized by the burnt-orange fore- wing ground color that is heavily speckled with black scales. It is replaced in Canada by a form that has paler buffy-brown or gray-brown forewings with little black speckling. This northern form is currently treated as Zanclognatha lutalba (Smith), occurring from Nova Scotia to Alberta, and as Zanclognatha lutalba ssp. bryanti Barnes in British Columbia and Washington. However, there is a broad area in southern Ontario and Quebec, northern New York, and New England, where most specimens are intermediate between typical Zanclognatha jacchusalis and Z. lutalba and occasionally Z. lutalba-like forms are found as far south as the Appalachians of North Carolina. There are no external structural or genital characters to distinguish the two taxa and barcodes do not separate them either, so we synonymize Z. lutalba, syn. n., but retain the name as a northern subspecies as Z. jaccusalis ssp. lutalba, stat. n., and move subspecies bryanti to Z. jaccusalis ssp. bryanti, stat. rev." [Cite:1034067]
See Also
Z. lutalba is the only other
Zanclognatha species in British Columbia (according to
this list), but it only occurs as far west as southeastern BC, according to
this U. of Alberta page. In comparing the images of
both species, it appears that the pale subterminal line is more conspicuous in
bryanti than in
lutalba.
Yellowish Zanclognatha (
Z. jacchusalis) is very similar but apparently doesn't occur west of a line from Ontario to Texas.
Internet References
Images and Info (Moth Photographers Group)
Images and Info (Pacific Northwest Moths)
Distribution in Canada list of provinces (U. of Alberta, using CBIF data)
