A medium-size moth (approx. 3.5 – 3.8 cm wingspan) with dark, almost black, red-brown forewings and lighter brown hindwings. Forewing markings consist of a light yellowish doubled curved antemedial line and a faint almost obsolete dark postmedian line. The area basad of the antemedial line is usually partially filled with light brown or yellowish scales. The small orbicular spot and larger reniform spot are only slightly lighter than the ground, and are preceded and separated by jet black in the cell. The subterminal line is indicated by a few pale scales, in particular where it approaches the lower margin. The most prominent marking is a pale yellowish or pale pink diffuse blotch on the costa just distad of the reniform spot, from which it gets its common name. Most similar to P. tenuicula, which it differs from in the curved antemedial line (straight in tenuicula) and by the pale yellowish or pinkish blotch on the costa just distad of the reniform spot (absent in tenuicula). Bicarnea is also noticeably larger and broader-winged than tenuicula.

An eastern species, found from NS west to central southern Alberta, south to ND and KY. In Alberta it has been collected in the Red Deer River valley at the Tolman Bridge Recreation Area, and in the dunes southeast of Wainwright.

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

It frequents in open wooded areas, edges and meadows.

The larval hosts are in part uncertain; Crumb (1956) listed a variety of plants in several families, including blueberry, Gray birch, dandelion and Spiraea. However, McCabe (1991) found the larvae would only feed on two species of grass (Glyceria maxima (Hartm.) Holmb. and G. canadaensis (Michx.) and rejected blueberry, Grey birch, raspberry, yarrow, nettle, dogbane and elder.

Adults in late July and early August.

Adults are nocturnal and come to light. There is a single annual brood here, with adults in late July and early August. The larvae is described and illustrated in color in Lafontaine (1998).

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species. 

 
There are 15 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank.  Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.  See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.
 

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Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 15
Species: 36
Species With Barcodes: 1

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure