University of Alberta Museums Search

A robust medium-size (3.2-3.5 cm wingspan) noctuid moth. The forewings are a beautiful mix of purple, maroon, orange, and pale yellow, changing subtly with the light angle. The round orbicular and oblong-rectangular reniform spots are pale yellow. The terminal areas are mostly yellow-buff, with a very fine, scalloped dark terminal line. The hingwings are white, overlaid with pink scales on the outer half. The head and thorax are solid creamy or pinkish buff. The closely related and very similar O. violacea occurs in BC; it has white hindwings without pink, a central orange-red tuft on the thorax and differences in the genitalia. The much smaller O. egens is dark rusty-orange with dark hindwings. Rampartensis is one of the most attractive noctuids, and is unlikely to be mistaken for anything else in Alberta.

A western species, found from the foothills and high plains in southern Alberta west to British Columbia, south to the central Sierra Nevada in California. (Troubridge, J. and J. D. Lafontaine. Taxonomic Notes on the Noctuidae. in press.)