SeasonalityAdults have been collected in Alberta from mid-June-through July.IdentificationA medium-sized (3.5-3.9 cm wingspan) long and narrow-winged Euxoa. Forewing ground color varies from dark red-brown or chocolate brown through tan and grey to pale straw yellow, but is usually buff speckled with lighter and darker scales. No contrasting prothoracic collar. The maculation is poorly defined except in dark specimens. The costa, orbicular and reniform often paler and contrasting with the dark ground, the spots with dark grey center and pale outer ring. Subterminal line indistinct, pale. Terminal line a series of thin, dark lines between the veins. Fringe concolorous or nearly so. Hindwings varying from white to smoky brown usually paler towards the base. Discal bar and veins usually marked in darker scales, and fringe white. Male antennae are strongly biserrate, about three times the width of the shaft. The female genitalia are unusual in having a row of long, stout setae along the dorsal margins of the ovipositor lobes.
Aurulenta belongs to the subgenus Pleonectopoda, characterized by the prominent twist or subbasal coil in the vesica of the male. There are no characters that can be used to identify females as members of the subgenus. Keys to the subgenus and species are presented in Lafontaine, 1987.
Scientific NameEuxoa aurulentaHabitat
Open arid sandy habitats; dunes, beaches.
Seasonality
Adults have been collected in Alberta from mid-June-through July.
Identification
A medium-sized (3.5-3.9 cm wingspan) long and narrow-winged Euxoa. Forewing ground color varies from dark red-brown or chocolate brown through tan and grey to pale straw yellow, but is usually buff speckled with…
A medium-sized (3.5-3.9 cm wingspan) long and narrow-winged Euxoa. Forewing ground color varies from dark red-brown or chocolate brown through tan and grey to pale straw yellow, but is usually buff speckled with lighter and darker scales. No contrasting prothoracic collar. The maculation is poorly defined except in dark specimens. The costa, orbicular and reniform often paler and contrasting with the dark ground, the spots with dark grey center and pale outer ring. Subterminal line indistinct, pale. Terminal line a series of thin, dark lines between the veins. Fringe concolorous or nearly so. Hindwings varying from white to smoky brown usually paler towards the base. Discal bar and veins usually marked in darker scales, and fringe white. Male antennae are strongly biserrate, about three times the width of the shaft. The female genitalia are unusual in having a row of long, stout setae along the dorsal margins of the ovipositor lobes.
Aurulenta belongs to the subgenus Pleonectopoda, characterized by the prominent twist or subbasal coil in the vesica of the male. There are no characters that can be used to identify females as members of the subgenus. Keys to the subgenus and species are presented in Lafontaine, 1987.
Life History
Poorly known. There is a single brood each year. Adults come to light. The immature stages and hosts are unknown.
Conservation
An uncommon and very local species frequenting a limited and declining habitat.
Diet Info
No data. Other members of the genus are generalist feeders on mostly low-growing broad-leaved plants.
Range
Ontario west to Alberta and Washington, south to Illinois, Nebraska, Colorado, and Arizona. In Alberta it has been found in the arid southern parts of the province, from Calgary south and east.
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Citation
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Page Citation for Euxoa aurulenta
Page Citation
"Species Details - Euxoa aurulenta, University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum." University of Alberta Museums Search Site, https://search.museums.ualberta.ca/g/2-3732. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.