A medium-size (3.0-3.5 cm. wingspan) moth with pale grey (sometimes with a pinkbrown tint) forewings and dark hindwings. The forewing pattern is unusual and unmistakable. A wide, dirty white swath runs in an arc from the wing base along the leading edge to about mid-wing, with the area below this grey-brown. The outer half of the forewing has a series of narrow wavy bands of black, dark grey-brown, and brown shading into a broad subterminal pale grey band and a narrow blackish terminal band followed by fine pale and dark grey bands. Hindwings are dark smoky brown, faintly banded and slightly darkening toward the outer margin. The antennae are simple, and both the sexes are similar.

From Newfoundland west across the southern boreal forest to central and northern Alberta, south to Maryland, Kentucky and North Carolina. In Alberta, it has been collected in the Boreal forest in the eastern half of the province, from the Edmonton area north to Lake Athabasca.

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

Sandy jackpine forest and other well-drained boreal woodlands.

No Alberta data. Elsewhere, the larvae are reported to feed on Blueberry (Vaccinium sp.) and Huckleberry (Gaylussacia sp.), both in the family, Ericaceae.

Adults are on the wing in Alberta in July and early August.

The adults are nocturnal and come to light. There is a single brood each year

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


There is 1 barcode sequence available from BOLD and GenBank.   Below is the 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.  Other sequences that do not yet meet barcode criteria may also be available.


Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 1
Specimens with Barcodes: 20
Species With Barcodes: 1

At the western edge of the range in Alberta. No concerns.

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure