Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Egira hiemalis (Grote, 1874)
Xylomiges hiemalis Grote, 1874
Phylogenetic sequence # 932788
(1) Identification
Adult: forewing mottled light gray, darker gray, and reddish-brown; black basal dash curves toward costa, enclosing pale basal patch; reniform spot with reddish filling; orbicular spot pale, oblique, oblong; subterminal area lighter than median area; irregular subterminal line with darker shading beyond it; female darker than male, with less contrast on forewing; hindwing pale gray with dark veins, discal spot, and sometimes dark median line
Larva: body pale grayish-green to green with pairs of black dorsolateral and lateral blotches on each segment; thin white dorsal, subdorsal, and subspiracular lines; head dark reddish-brown with black band over vertex of each lobe
Range
British Columbia to California, east to Arizona and Utah.
(2),
(3)Habitat
Wet coniferous forests in the Pacific west.
Season
Adults fly from December to March in California; April and May in British Columbia
larvae present June to August; pupation occurs in August
Food
The larval host plants include.
Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas fir).
Corylus cornuta (beaked hazelnut).
Fraxinus spp. (ash).
Life Cycle
One generation per year; overwinters as a pupa beneath leaf litter.
See Also
Egira variabilis forewing is darker, less mottled, lacks a curved black basal dash, and has darker subterminal area (
compare images of both species at CBIF)
Internet References
Natural Resources Canada - fact sheet with photos.
pinned adult image plus description, habitat, flight season, foodplants (Jeff Miller, Macromoths of Northwest Forests and Woodlands, USGS)
pinned adult images (Bruce Walsh, Moths of Southeastern Arizona)
27 specimen records from California including locations and dates (U. of California at Berkeley)
distribution in Canada BC only (U. of Alberta, using CBIF data)