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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Owlet Moths and kin (Noctuoidea) » Owlet Moths (Noctuidae) » Looper Moths (Plusiinae) » Plusiini » Plusiina » Syngrapha » Spruce False Looper - Hodges#8929 (Syngrapha viridisigma)

Species Syngrapha viridisigma - Spruce False Looper - Hodges#8929

Classification · Hodges Number · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Size · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Spruce False Looper - Syngrapha viridisigma - female

Moth on lichen on a Tamarack tree - Syngrapha viridisigma

Spruce False Looper - Syngrapha viridisigma

Oregon thistle-pollinating moth - Syngrapha viridisigma

Spruce False Looper Moth - Syngrapha viridisigma

Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)

Superfamily Noctuoidea (Owlet Moths and kin)

Family Noctuidae (Owlet Moths)

Subfamily Plusiinae (Looper Moths)

Tribe Plusiini

Subtribe Plusiina

Genus Syngrapha

Species viridisigma (Spruce False Looper - Hodges#8929)

Hodges Number

8929

Other Common Names

Green-marked Looper

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Syngrapha viridisigma (Grote, 1874)

Plusia viridisigma Grote, 1874

* phylogenetic sequence #931213

Size

Forewing length 18-21 mm (1)

Range

Canada and Alaska; south to New York and Wisconsin; Washington southeast to Arizona and New Mexico (Eichlin & Cunningham, 1978).(2)

Habitat

Coniferous forests (E.H. Strickland Museum).

Season

mid July to early Sept (1)

Food

Larvae feed on a variety of coniferous trees, including spruce (Picea), fir (Abies), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga), pine (Pinus), tamarack (Larix), and cedar (Thuja). However, spruces and firs are by far the most frequently recorded hosts (Prentice, 1962).

See Also

Syngrapha selecta is much less common and has a more limited range. It is a bit paler (both FW and HW) and smaller than viridisigma. Species identification best obtained by examination of genitalia. (1)

Print References

Eichlin, T. D. & H. B. Cunningham 1978. The Plusiinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) of America north of Mexico, emphasizing genitalic and larval morphology. USDA Tech. Bulletin 1567: 1-122 (PDF)(2)

Grote, A. R. 1874. List of the Noctuidae of North America. Bulletin Buffalo Soc. Nat. Sci. 2: 73

Lafontaine, J. D. & R. W. Poole 1991. Moths of America North of Mexico, Fascicle 25.1: p.103; pl.3.9-12

Powell, J. A. & P. A. Opler 2009. Moths of Western North America, Pl.50.2m; p.279

Internet References

Moth Photographers Group - species page

Pacific Northwest Moths

Barcode of Life (BOLD)

E.H. Strickland Museum - species page

Works Cited

1.	The Moths of America North of Mexico. Fascicle 25.1. Noctuoidea, Noctuidae (part), Plusiinae J. Donald Lafontaine, Robert W. Poole. 1991. The Wedge Entomological Research Foundation.

2.	The Plusiinae (Lepidoptera:Noctuidae) of America north of Mexico, emphasizing genitalic and larval morphology Thomas D. Eichlin, Hugh B. Cunningham. 1978. United States Department of Agriculture Technical Bulletin 1567: 1-121.

Contributed by Cotinis on 17 March, 2006 - 3:56pm
Additional contributions by Randy Hardy, Steve Morris
Last updated 27 December, 2022 - 4:26pm

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