Species Details

Scoliopteryx libatrix

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum Read more about this collection »

Common NameThe Herald SeasonalityAdults fly in Alberta from late March through early October, with a gap in July. Adults hibernate. IdentificationUnmistakable. A medium-size (3.8-4.3 cm wingspan) orange-brown moth with falcate and strongly scalloped forewings. The forewing is crossed by a faint antemedian and prominent, slightly curved, doubled pale postmedian line. A broad brighter orange basal streak expands into the median area. The hindwings are dull orange-brown. Antennae of males are bipectinate. Scoliopteryx belongs to the Noctuid subfamily Catocalinae.

Scientific Name Scoliopteryx libatrix Common Name The Herald Habitat Wooded areas. Seasonality Adults fly in Alberta from late March through early October, with a gap in July. Adults hibernate. Identification
Unmistakable. A medium-size (3.8-4.3 cm wingspan) orange-brown moth with falcate and strongly scalloped forewings. The forewing is crossed by a faint antemedian and prominent, slightly curved, doubled pale postmedian…
Unmistakable. A medium-size (3.8-4.3 cm wingspan) orange-brown moth with falcate and strongly scalloped forewings. The forewing is crossed by a faint antemedian and prominent, slightly curved, doubled pale postmedian line. A broad brighter orange basal streak expands into the median area. The hindwings are dull orange-brown. Antennae of males are bipectinate. Scoliopteryx belongs to the Noctuid subfamily Catocalinae.
Life History
The Herald emerges from the pupae in late summer or early fall, then hibernates. Hibernating adults may be found in barns and other buildings, and numbers have been found in limestone caves in Manitoba. The adults…
The Herald emerges from the pupae in late summer or early fall, then hibernates. Hibernating adults may be found in barns and other buildings, and numbers have been found in limestone caves in Manitoba. The adults re-appear in spring and lay eggs. The larvae, which are solitary defoliators on willow and poplars, are bright green with a yellow dorsal stripe. The larvae pupate in summer, in a slight cocoon between leaves of the host-plant. Adults are nocturnal and come to both light and sugar bait. The larva is illustrated in Ives and Wong (1988) as well as with adults on a number of websites
Conservation An uncommon but very widespread species; no concerns. Diet Info Mainly willow of many species (Salix spp.), also poplar (Populus sp.) (Prentice, 1962). Range Holarctic; in North America from NFLD to Vancouver Island, south to northern Mexico. Throughout the wooded areas of Alberta.

Citation

Page Citation for Scoliopteryx libatrix

Page Citation

"Species Details - Scoliopteryx libatrix, University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum." University of Alberta Museums Search Site, https://search.museums.ualberta.ca/g/2-3872. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Authorship

Name Anweiler, G. G.
Role species page author
Date 2003-11-21

References

Specimen Information

There are 67 specimens of this Species.

67 results plotted on map in 45 markers.
Note: Only records with latitude and longitude coordinates are plotted on map.

UASM13026 - Scoliopteryx libatrix

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Edmonton Collected ByBowman, K. Date Collected1935-09-28

UASM13027 - Scoliopteryx libatrix

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Medicine Hat Collected ByCarr, Frederick S. Date Collected1924-08-18

UASM13030 - Scoliopteryx libatrix

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Edmonton Date Collected1921-06-30

UASM13032 - Scoliopteryx libatrix

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, George Lake Date Collected1974-03-22

UASM13033 - Scoliopteryx libatrix

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Red Deer Collected ByWhitehouse, F. C. Date Collected1916-09-29

UASM13034 - Scoliopteryx libatrix

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Edmonton Collected ByCarr, Frederick S. Date Collected1921-08-24

UASM13036 - Scoliopteryx libatrix

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Banff National Park, Banff Collected ByBowman, K. Date Collected1920-09-11

UASM13037 - Scoliopteryx libatrix

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Red Deer Date Collected1915-09-03

UASM13039 - Scoliopteryx libatrix

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, St. Albert Date Collected1973-05-19

UASM13041 - Scoliopteryx libatrix

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Edmonton Collected ByBowman, K. Date Collected1920-08-08

UASM13043 - Scoliopteryx libatrix

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Edmonton Collected ByBowman, K. Date Collected1943-10-06

UASM13045 - Scoliopteryx libatrix

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Bilby Date Collected1932-07-02

UASM13046 - Scoliopteryx libatrix

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Nordegg Collected ByBowman, K. Date Collected1921-09-18

UASM13048 - Scoliopteryx libatrix

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Nordegg Collected ByBowman, K. Date Collected1921-09-16

UASM13049 - Scoliopteryx libatrix

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Edmonton Collected ByBowman, K. Date Collected1929-05-19

UASM13050 - Scoliopteryx libatrix

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Hillcrest Collected ByBowman, K. Date Collected1922-06-25

UASM7132 - Scoliopteryx libatrix

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Tofield Collected BySchmidt, B. C. Date Collected2000-06-13

UASM41689 - Scoliopteryx libatrix

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Edmonton Collected ByAnweiler, G. G. Date Collected1998-05-05

UASM41802 - Scoliopteryx libatrix

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Colin-Cornwall Lakes Wildland Park Collected ByMacaulay, D. Date Collected2002-06-11

UASM41803 - Scoliopteryx libatrix

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Colin-Cornwall Lakes Wildland Park Collected ByMacaulay, D. Date Collected2000-06-12

BIRD5382 - Scoliopteryx libatrix

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Winfield Collected ByBird, C. D. Date Collected2000-05-05

Adult Seasonal Distribution