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Species Mycterophora inexplicata - Hodges#8413

Representative Images

Mycterophora inexplicata - Mycterophora inexplicata Mycterophora inexplicata Mycterophora inexplicata? - Mycterophora inexplicata Mycterophora inexplicata Mycterophora inexplicata Lépidoptère, famille Geometridae - Mycterophora inexplicata - Mycterophora inexplicata 8413 Pale-edged Snout Moth (Mycterophora inexplicata)? - Mycterophora inexplicata - female genitalia - Mycterophora inexplicata - male
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 Erebidae
Subfamily Boletobiinae
Tribe Boletobiini
Genus Mycterophora
Species inexplicata (Mycterophora inexplicata - Hodges#8413)

Hodges Number

8413

Other Common Names

Pale-edged Snout Moth

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Mycterophora inexplicata (Walker, [1863])
Scotosia inexplicata Walker, 1862 (1)
Mycterophora slossoniae Hulst, 1898 (1)
Phylogenetic sequence # 930674

Explanation of Names

mycter is the Greek word meaning nose.(2)

Numbers

There are five Mycterophora species in America north of Mexico. (3)
Mycterophora inexplicata is the only species of the five that occurs in eastern North America.(1)

Size

Wingspan 22-24 mm.

Identification

The forewing has a yellow costa and the veins interrupt the transverse lines. No discal spots.
Sexes are similar with the males distinguished by the broadly pectinate antennae.
The similar Mycterophora longipalpata does not have the yellow costa, and the lines are not interrupted by the veins. M. longipalpata has dark discal spots on both wings.

Range

All of southern Canada and south to Minnesota and New Hampshire. (4)

Season

Adults fly from June through August. (4)

Food

Larval host and immature stages are unknown. (5)

Remarks

Uncommon to rare. (5)

See Also

Mycterophora longipalpata lacks the yellow costa. (5)
Several Mycterophora species are similar.
This group can be difficult to determine from photos but range can help.
Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility - Mycterophora inexplicata and M. longipalpata comparison photos.

Print References

Franclemont, J G. 1985. A new species of Parascotia with notes on the genera Mycterophora and Parascotia (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: incertae sedis).(1)
Hulst, 1898. The Canadian Entomologist. 30: 120.
Walker, 1862. List of specimens of Lepidopterist insects in the collection of the British Museum. 26: 1722.

Internet References

Pacific Northwest Moths (5)
Moth Photographers Group (4)
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) (6)
Lepbarcoding.org

Works Cited

1.A new species of Parascotia with notes on the genera Mycterophora and Parascotia (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: incertae sedis)
J. G. Franclemont. 1985. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington.
2.Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms
Donald J. Borror. 1960. Mayfield Publishing Company.
3.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 .
4.North American Moth Photographers Group
5.Pacific Northwest Moths
6.BOLD: The Barcode of Life Data Systems
Contributed by Maury J. Heiman on 23 March, 2012 - 9:59am
Additional contributions by Tony-2
Last updated 9 December, 2025 - 2:41pm

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