SeasonalityAlberta specimens have been collected in mid August.IdentificationA medium-size (wingspan approx. 3 cm) broad-winged dull light and darker yellow-brown moth with a glossy sheen. The forewings are pale yellow-brown, overlaid with dull sooty brown on the basal third and in a broad band across the post-media area. The outer edge of the postmedian band is well-defined and erratic, followed by a thin broken terminal line. The hindwings are similarly marked, but less well defined. The wing fringes are light brown. The entire pattern is poorly defined and "cloudy". Idia lubricalis (Gey.) (see below) is a smaller, darker moth. Some specimens of occidentalis have more dark scaling and a more complete pattern than is evident on the illustrated specimen. Idia immaculalis is pale tan without any pattern. Two other species with a similar color and sheen include Protoperigea posticata (Harv.) and Pronoctua peabodyae.
Scientific NameIdia occidentalisHabitat
dry open areas, arid native grasslands and badlands
Seasonality
Alberta specimens have been collected in mid August.
Identification
A medium-size (wingspan approx. 3 cm) broad-winged dull light and darker yellow-brown moth with a glossy sheen. The forewings are pale yellow-brown, overlaid with dull sooty brown on the basal third and in a broad…
A medium-size (wingspan approx. 3 cm) broad-winged dull light and darker yellow-brown moth with a glossy sheen. The forewings are pale yellow-brown, overlaid with dull sooty brown on the basal third and in a broad band across the post-media area. The outer edge of the postmedian band is well-defined and erratic, followed by a thin broken terminal line. The hindwings are similarly marked, but less well defined. The wing fringes are light brown. The entire pattern is poorly defined and "cloudy". Idia lubricalis (Gey.) (see below) is a smaller, darker moth. Some specimens of occidentalis have more dark scaling and a more complete pattern than is evident on the illustrated specimen. Idia immaculalis is pale tan without any pattern. Two other species with a similar color and sheen include Protoperigea posticata (Harv.) and Pronoctua peabodyae.
Life History
Very poorly known. There is a single brood in Alberta, and adults come to light. The larval hosts are unrecorded, but related species feed on fungi and mold on damp and decaying vegetable matter. Alberta specimens…
Very poorly known. There is a single brood in Alberta, and adults come to light. The larval hosts are unrecorded, but related species feed on fungi and mold on damp and decaying vegetable matter. Alberta specimens have been collected in mid August.
Diet Info
The larval hosts are unrecorded, but related species feed on fungi and mold on damp and decaying vegetable matter
Range
A western species; known from southern Alberta and BC south to Colorado, Arizona and California. In Alberta it has been collected only in Dinosaur Provincial Park, in arid native grasslands and badlands.
Notes
Although the eastern Idia lubricalis is usually much smaller and darker than Alberta occidentalis, some specimens may be difficult to separate. Idia lubricalis occurs mainly in the aspen parklands region of Alberta,…
Although the eastern Idia lubricalis is usually much smaller and darker than Alberta occidentalis, some specimens may be difficult to separate. Idia lubricalis occurs mainly in the aspen parklands region of Alberta, but also in wooded areas in the grasslands region. Both species have been collected at Dinosaur Provincial Park, with lubricalis in wooded riparian areas and occidentalis in dry open areas.
Until recently I. occidentalis was treated as a subspecies of I. lubricalis, but both genitalic characters and DNA barcoding show them to be good species.
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Citation
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Page Citation for Idia occidentalis
Page Citation
"Species Details - Idia occidentalis, University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum." University of Alberta Museums Search Site, https://search.museums.ualberta.ca/g/2-5120. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.
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Taxonomic Hierarchy
KingdomAnimaliaPhylumArthropodaClassHexapodaSubclassInsectaOrderLepidopteraSuborderDitrysiaSuperfamilyNoctuoideaFamilyNoctuidaeSubfamilyHerminiinaeGenusIdiaSpeciesIdia occidentalis
This hierarchy is created from our museum records, it may not always accurately reflect modern taxonomies.
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Taxonomic Hierarchy for University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum