Common NameLittle Dark GemSeasonalityAdults are on the wing in late July and August.IdentificationA small (2.0 cm wingspan) dark red-brown day-flying moth with indistinct lighter mottled pattern on the forewing. Hindwing similar, but darker and with three indistinct pale spots in the basal half. The darkest of the Alberta Flower Moths except for M. immortua, which flies in spring.
Scientific NameSchinia villosaCommon Name
Little Dark Gem
Habitat
Native prairie and montane grasslands.
Seasonality
Adults are on the wing in late July and August.
Identification
A small (2.0 cm wingspan) dark red-brown day-flying moth with indistinct lighter mottled pattern on the forewing. Hindwing similar, but darker and with three indistinct pale spots in the basal half. The darkest of…
A small (2.0 cm wingspan) dark red-brown day-flying moth with indistinct lighter mottled pattern on the forewing. Hindwing similar, but darker and with three indistinct pale spots in the basal half. The darkest of the Alberta Flower Moths except for M. immortua, which flies in spring.
Life History
Adults are diurnal. The larvae feed mainly on the developing seeds of the host, and are also reported to be extremely cannibalistic.
Conservation
No immediate concerns.
Diet Info
No Alberta data. Elsewhere, the primary host is reported to be species of Fleabanes (Erigeron sp.). Eucephalus ledophyllus is also listed as a host plant (Crumb, 1956)
Range
Primarily a western mountain species, however it has also been found across the plains eastward across Alberta and Saskatchewan to southern Manitoba. West to the coast ranges of Washington and BC, south to Arizona. In…
Primarily a western mountain species, however it has also been found across the plains eastward across Alberta and Saskatchewan to southern Manitoba. West to the coast ranges of Washington and BC, south to Arizona. In Alberta, it has been collected in the foothills west of Calgary and in the Drumheller and Edmonton regions.
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Citation
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Page Citation for Schinia villosa
Page Citation
"Species Details - Schinia villosa, University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum." University of Alberta Museums Search Site, https://search.museums.ualberta.ca/g/2-289. Accessed 08 Dec. 2024.
References
AuthorHardwick, D. F.
TitleA monograph to the North American Heliothentinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).
Publication Date1996
Pages281
Specimen Information
There are 11 specimens of this Species.
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11 results plotted on map in 4 markers. Note: Only records with latitude and longitude coordinates are plotted on map.