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A medium size (3.5-4.0 cm wingspan) moth with red-brown thorax and forewings and dark grey-brown hindwings. The basal two-thirds of the forewings are red-brown, the outer third duller brown, in particular the wide slightly paler brown terminal band. The costa from base to reniform spot is pale contrasting yellow or yellow orange. The large orbicular and reniform spots are lighter brown and stand out. The elongate claviform and part of the basal line are outlined in light brown or yellow. Similar to pale specimens of P. exertistigma, but larger and redder.

Poorly known. Adults are nocturnal and come to light. The only Alberta specimen was collected August 31. The larvae (as P. insularis) is described by Crumb (1956). According to Lafontaine (1998) the larvae differ from that of P. exertistigma by “dark brown rather than white spiracles and the middorsal white line is not bordered by black lines as in exertistigma.” (Lafontaine, 1998).

A Pacific northwestern species, found from coastal southern BC south to northern California, east and southeast to extreme southwestern Alberta and western Montana. In Alberta known from a single recent specimen from Waterton Lakes National Park.

One of the many species of western moths barely reaching Alberta in the mountain forests south of the Crowsnest Pass. The much more common P. exertistigma occurs much more widely in the grasslands region of the prairies. Until recently described as new by Lafontaine (1998) sulinaris was included in P. insularis (Grote). The specimen illustrated above if the first Alberta specimen, from Waterton Lakes National Park.