Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Dejongia lobidactylus (Fitch, 1854)
formerly Trichoptilus lobidactylus (and originally placed in genus Pterophorus)
* Phylogenetic sequence #182200.
Numbers
One of two species found in America north of Mexico. *List by Debbie Matthews at
plumemoth.comIdentification
See the identification key for
Oxyptilini.
See the species accounts in Hunt & Matthews (2020)
(1), Landry (1987)
(2) as
Trichoptilus lobidactylus, and Barnes & Lindsey (1921)
(3) as
Trichoptilus lobidactylus.
Dejongia lobidactylus adults have:
- a forewing second lobe that is narrow with an acute apex, as in Buckleria, Dejongia californicus, Trichoptilus, and Megalorhipida, and not broader with a well developed, curved outer margin, as in Sphenarches, Geina, Capperia, and Oxyptilus.
- antennae with alternating brown and white marks, unlike in Dejongia californicus and Megalorhipida leucodactylus.
- diverging, disconnected, white subdorsal lines on abdominal segments two and three, extending across nearly the whole of segment two but only the posterior 1/2 to 2/3 of segment three, and usually obsolete on segment 4, unlike in Dejongia californicus and Megalorhipida leucodactylus (white subdorsal lines extended across whole segments two and three), unlike in Buckleria parvulus (continuous, white subdorsal lines across most segments, including segment four), and unlike Trichoptilus (no conspicuous subdorsal lines).
Adult: forewing bilobed, brown with white patches - distinguishing features include horizontal white strip on upper half of upper lobe at apex, and vertical white strip on lower half of lower lobe near apex; top of thorax brown with white posterior border; top of abdomen brown with dark brown patches near middle, and four pairs of short white streaks straddling midline; hindwing with three deeply-incised lobes (hindwing completely hidden beneath forewing in live moths at rest); hindleg white with tufted brown "collar" and long projecting white spine at each joint; antennae white with narrow dark rings on basal half, and wide dark rings on distal half.
Genitalia:
Range
Northeastern United States plus Quebec and Ontario.
(list at
Dalton State College [listed under
Trichoptilus] indicates a range including Florida, but the species does not appear on the list of
Florida Lepidoptera)
Season
Adults fly from June to August.
Food
It is known to feed on goldenrods.
Remarks
Page creation based on Debbie Matthews' identification of
this image - (a link to the BugGuide image is given under
Dejongia lobidactylus on her page
here)
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group - range map, photos of living and pinned adults.
live adult image (Bev Wigney, Ontario)
BOLD - Barcode of Life Data Systems - collection map and photos of pinned adults.
presence in Ontario listed under
Trichoptilus (NHIC; Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources)
presence in Michigan; PDF doc list listed under
Trichoptilus (Mogens Nielsen, Michigan State U.)
