Common NamePale ProminentSeasonalityThe only Alberta specimen was collected in early August.IdentificationA medium-large (4.6-4.8 cm wingspan), pale rusty brown and tan moth, with few markings. Markings on the forewings consist of a thin dark vertical line at the end of the cell and some dark rust or maroon along the wing base and the anal angle. The outer two-thirds of the costa is grey, with a pair of short, parallel horizontal streaks near the apex. The hindwings are pale yellow or tan (male) or grey (female) with a dark patch marking the anal angle. Sexes similar, but females larger and darker. Other species of Alberta Oligocentria lack the prominent rusty-red coloring of pallida.
Scientific NameOligocentria pallidaCommon Name
Pale Prominent
Habitat
Dry deciduous and mixedwood woodland.
Seasonality
The only Alberta specimen was collected in early August.
Identification
A medium-large (4.6-4.8 cm wingspan), pale rusty brown and tan moth, with few markings. Markings on the forewings consist of a thin dark vertical line at the end of the cell and some dark rust or maroon along the…
A medium-large (4.6-4.8 cm wingspan), pale rusty brown and tan moth, with few markings. Markings on the forewings consist of a thin dark vertical line at the end of the cell and some dark rust or maroon along the wing base and the anal angle. The outer two-thirds of the costa is grey, with a pair of short, parallel horizontal streaks near the apex. The hindwings are pale yellow or tan (male) or grey (female) with a dark patch marking the anal angle. Sexes similar, but females larger and darker. Other species of Alberta Oligocentria lack the prominent rusty-red coloring of pallida.
Life History
Poorly known. Larvae are solitary defoliators, and there is a single annual brood. Adults come to light.
Conservation
Barely reaches extreme southwest Alberta; known in AB from a single collection.
Diet Info
No Alberta data; elsewhere reported to feed on willow (Salix), apple (Malus), maple (Acer) and poplar (Populus) (Miller and Hammond, 2000.); also rose (Rosa) and saskatoon (Amelanchier) (Jones, 1951).
No Alberta data; elsewhere reported to feed on willow (Salix), apple (Malus), maple (Acer) and poplar (Populus) (Miller and Hammond, 2000.); also rose (Rosa) and saskatoon (Amelanchier) (Jones, 1951).
Range
The mountains of extreme southwestern Alberta, west to Vancouver Island; southward.
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Citation
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Page Citation for Oligocentria pallida
Page Citation
"Species Details - Oligocentria pallida, University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum." University of Alberta Museums Search Site, https://search.museums.ualberta.ca/g/2-4916. Accessed 06 Feb. 2023.