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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Owlet Moths and kin (Noctuoidea) » Owlet Moths (Noctuidae) » Cutworm or Dart Moths (Noctuinae) » Xylenini » Xylenina » Swordgrass Moths (Xylena) » American Swordgrass Moth - Hodges#9873 (Xylena nupera)

Species Xylena nupera - American Swordgrass Moth - Hodges#9873

Classification · Hodges Number · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Numbers · Size · Range · Season · Food · Life Cycle · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
1412b Xylena nupera - American swordgrass moth 9873 - Xylena nupera Moth 6 - Xylena cineritia - Xylena nupera Caterpillar eating Triglochin maritima flowers - Xylena nupera Noctuidae: American Swordgrass (Xylena nupera) - Xylena nupera Noctuidae: Xylena nupera - Xylena nupera American Swordgrass Moth - Xylena nupera Noctuidae: Xylena nupera - Xylena nupera Xylena nupera? - Xylena nupera
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 Noctuinae (Cutworm or Dart Moths)
Tribe Xylenini
Subtribe Xylenina
Genus Xylena (Swordgrass Moths)
Species nupera (American Swordgrass Moth - Hodges#9873)
Hodges Number
9873
Other Common Names
false armyworm
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Xylena nupera (Lintner, 1874)
Calocampa nupera Lintner, 1874
Phylogenetic sequence # 932519
Numbers
There are five Xylena species in America north of Mexico. (1)
Size
Forewing length 22-25 mm.(2)
Range
British Columbia south to northern California and east to New Jersey and Nova Scotia. (2), (3)
Season
Adults fly late summer into fall then overwinter as adults. Females become active from March to May(2)
Food
Larvae feed upon many plants from grasses to trees. (4) Appears to favor hardwoods in the Rose family. Also Prunus, Populus, Salix
Life Cycle
Adults overwinter.
larva; larva; larva; adult
See Also
Several Xylena are similar and can be compared on the pinned plates of Moth Photographers Group.
Print References
Powell, J.A., & P.A. Opler 2009. Moths of Western North America. p. 297, pl 53.35. (2)
Internet References
Pacific Northwest Moths
Moth Photographers Group
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD)
iNaturalist
Mass Moths
University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum
Works Cited
1.Annotated check list of the Noctuoidea (Insecta, Lepidoptera) of North America north of Mexico.
Donald J. Lafontaine, B. Christian Schmidt. 2010. ZooKeys 40: 1–239 .
2.Moths of Western North America
Powell and Opler. 2009. UC Press.
3.Owlet Caterpillars of Eastern North America
David L. Wagner. 2011. Princeton University Press.
4.Peterson Field Guides: Eastern Moths
Charles V. Covell. 1984. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Contributed by Maury J. Heiman on 28 December, 2010 - 1:48pm
Additional contributions by marcie oconnor, Steve Morris
Last updated 4 May, 2024 - 10:15am

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