Species Parapamea buffaloensis - Buffalo Moth - Hodges#9463

9463

Papaipema latia

originally placed in genus Ochria by Grote in 1877; placed in genus Parapamea by Bird in 1927

PARAPAMEA: probably a contraction of para-Apamea, meaning "alongside or similar to the genus Apamea", which contains closely-related moths in the same tribe as Parapamea

BUFFALOENSIS: the type specimen of this species was collected in Buffalo, NY

the only species in this genus in North America (and the world) listed at All-Leps

locally common

wingspan 30-42 mm

Adult: forewing dark reddish-brown; basal and subterminal areas shaded with violet; AM and PM lines double, purple; basal, median, and ST lines single, brownish; orbicular and reniform spots filled with either ground color or white; hindwing light reddish-brown with thin dark median line

[adapted from description by Charles Covell] (1)

Wisconsin through Michigan and southern Ontario to New York, south to Florida, west to eastern Texas

marshes or wet areas beside rivers and streams where foodplant grows; adults are nocturnal and come to light

adults fly from August to October; most common in September

larvae bore into roots of Lizard's Tail (Saururus cernuus)

The individual pictured here represents the first record of this species in Canada, according to Don Lafontaine. He says there are two specimens in the Canadian National Collection, but neither of them were collected in Canada.

several species of Papaipema and other moths in the tribe Apameini have similar color and pattern

Moth Photographers Group (MPG)

Barcode of Life (BOLD)

live adult image (Brent Steury, Great Falls Park, Virginia)

pinned adult images and collection site map (All-Leps)

pinned adult image (James Adams, Dalton State College, Georgia)

adult illustration [#25] by Hampson (U. of Massachusetts)

food plant reference (John Hilty, Wetland Wildflowers of Illinois)

number of world species plus type specimen locality and original genus placement (Brian Pitkin, Butterflies & Moths of the World)

synonym and references (Markku Savela, FUNET, Finland)