Species Schinia arcigera - Arcigera Flower Moth - Hodges#11128

11128

Arc-lined Flower Moth

Schinia arcigera (Guenée, 1852)

Anthoecia arcigera Guenée, 1852

Lygranthoecia limbalis Grote, 1875

Phylogenetic sequence # 932134 (1)

Forewing length 9-12 mm (Powell & Opler, 2009)(2)

Wingspan 22-25 mm

Adult - forewing dark brown with paler grayish-brown median and terminal areas; dark brown areas often tinted with red or purple; AM and PM line white, sometimes faint; AM line arc-shaped, and PM line slightly wavy, almost straight; hindwing of male black on outer half, bright yellow on inner half, with rectangular black discal spot; hindwing of female dark brown to blackish with pale fringe.

Nova Scotia to Florida, west to Arizona and Idaho, north to Saskatchewan.

Fields with hostplant (asters); adults may be found on flowers during the day, but are mainly nocturnal and come to light.

Adults fly from July to September, perhaps to October-November in south.

Larvae feed on asters: Aster laevis, puniceus reported by Fauske in North Dakota, and additionally Aster ericoides reported by Handfield in Quebec; Slender Tansyaster (Psilactis tenuis) is a foodplant in southern Texas [Hardwick, reported by Bruce Walsh].

Adults feed on flower nectar of herbaceous plants.

Eggs are laid on flowers of the foodplant; one generation per year in the north.

Ragweed Flower Moth forewing is blackish-gray and lighter gray with a deeply curved PM line, and hindwing of male is unmarked and has no yellow (compare images of both species at CBIF)

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Schinia jaguarina forewing is paler yellowish-brown

Boisduval, J. A. & A. Guenée 1852. Histoire naturella des Insectes. Lépidoptère 4, Noctuilites 2: 184

Covell Jr., C. V. 1984. A field guide to the moths of eastern North America, p.143, pl.29 #20, 21 (3)

Grote, A. R. 1875. On North American Noctuae. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 27: 421 (Lygranthoecia limbalis)

Handfield, Louis. 1999. Les Guides des Papillons du Quebec. Broquet. 662 pp.

Powell, J. A. & P. A. Opler. 2009. Moths of Western North America, p.292, Pl.52.42.(2)

Moth Photographers Group (4)

butterfliesandmoths.org (5)

E. H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Pacific Northwest Moths (6)