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E. perpolita belongs in the ridingsiana group of the subgenus Orosagrotis. They are medium-size moths (3.3-3.8 cm wingspan) with silky black or dark maroon forewings and smoky brown hindwings. Forewings are essentially unmarked, except for a usually indistinct black outline of the reniform and orbicular spots. The maroon form is most likely to be mistaken for dark specimens of Abagrotis brunneipennis, which may be found flying in the same habitat at the same time. Brunneipennis shares the same silky appearance, but usually has an indistinct paler terminal band, more rounded forewings, and darker hindwings.

Newfoundland west to south central BC, south to Montana, N. Dakota and Massachusettes. In Alberta, it has been found in dry open sandy pine forest through much of the Boreal forest region, north almost to Lake Athabasca. It has also been collected in old dune habitats in the northern part of the Aspen parklands east of Edgerton, and in the arid grasslands and southern foothills.