SeasonalityAdults have been collected in Alberta in late July.IdentificationA medium-sized (3.3-4.0 cm wingspan) rather delicate brown moth with few markings. The forewing is dull grey-brown to yellow-brown, with a very faint narrow antemedian line and slightly more prominent postmedian line, and with the basal and in particular the terminal area slightly paler. The hindwings are lighter brown, almost white in the basal half, occasionally with a faint lighter median line. Antennae simple and sexes similar.
The related P. expallidus is smaller and more contrastingly marked. Poole (1995) illustrates the adults and the genitalia of both sexes, and provides a key to the species of Plagiomimicus
Scientific NamePlagiomimicus spumosumHabitat
Dry open disturbed areas
Seasonality
Adults have been collected in Alberta in late July.
Identification
A medium-sized (3.3-4.0 cm wingspan) rather delicate brown moth with few markings. The forewing is dull grey-brown to yellow-brown, with a very faint narrow antemedian line and slightly more prominent postmedian line,…
A medium-sized (3.3-4.0 cm wingspan) rather delicate brown moth with few markings. The forewing is dull grey-brown to yellow-brown, with a very faint narrow antemedian line and slightly more prominent postmedian line, and with the basal and in particular the terminal area slightly paler. The hindwings are lighter brown, almost white in the basal half, occasionally with a faint lighter median line. Antennae simple and sexes similar.
The related P. expallidus is smaller and more contrastingly marked. Poole (1995) illustrates the adults and the genitalia of both sexes, and provides a key to the species of Plagiomimicus
Life History
There is a single annual brood, with adults on the wing in mid-summer. They are nocturnal and are attracted to light. The larvae burrow into the heads of the host and feed on the seeds. The larvae have been described…
There is a single annual brood, with adults on the wing in mid-summer. They are nocturnal and are attracted to light. The larvae burrow into the heads of the host and feed on the seeds. The larvae have been described by Crumb, 1965, Forbes, 1954, and Poole, 1995.
There is a single annual brood, with adults on the wing in mid-summer. They are nocturnal and are attracted to light. The larvae burrow into the heads of the host and feed on the seeds. The larvae have been described by Crumb, 1965, Forbes, 1954, and Poole, 1995.
There is a single annual brood, with adults on the wing in mid-summer. They are nocturnal and are attracted to light. The larvae burrow into the heads of the host and feed on the seeds. The larvae have been described by Crumb, 1965, Forbes, 1954, and Poole, 1995.
There is a single annual brood, with adults on the wing in mid-summer. They are nocturnal and are attracted to light. The larvae burrow into the heads of the host and feed on the seeds. The larvae have been described by Crumb, 1965, Forbes, 1954, and Poole, 1995.
There is a single annual brood, with adults on the wing in mid-summer. They are nocturnal and are attracted to light. The larvae burrow into the heads of the host and feed on the seeds. The larvae have been described by Crumb, 1965, Forbes, 1954, and Poole, 1995.
There is a single annual brood, with adults on the wing in mid-summer. They are nocturnal and are attracted to light. The larvae burrow into the heads of the host and feed on the seeds. The larvae have been described by Crumb, 1965, Forbes, 1954, and Poole, 1995.
There is a single annual brood, with adults on the wing in mid-summer. They are nocturnal and are attracted to light. The larvae burrow into the heads of the host and feed on the seeds. The larvae have been described by Crumb, 1965, Forbes, 1954, and Poole, 1995.
There is a single annual brood, with adults on the wing in mid-summer. They are nocturnal and are attracted to light. The larvae b
Conservation
A rare species in Alberta, at the northern edge of its range.
Diet Info
No Alberta data; elsewhere the sunflower Helianthus annuus has been recorded as a larval host.
Range
Transcontinental in the United States, north to southern Ontario and southern Alberta. In Alberta it has been collected in the Lethbridge and Medicine Hat areas.
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Citation
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Page Citation for Plagiomimicus spumosum
Page Citation
"Species Details - Plagiomimicus spumosum, University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum." University of Alberta Museums Search Site, https://search.museums.ualberta.ca/g/2-3694. Accessed 02 Nov. 2024.
References
AuthorForbes, William T. M.
TitleLepidoptera of New York & neighbouring states : Part 3
Publication Date1954
Series TitleCornell University Agricultural Experiment Station. Memoir