Pseudacontia crustaria

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

SeasonalityThe Alberta specimen was collected June 27, 2007. IdentificationA relatively small (2.3-2.6 cm wingspan) moth with white wings with dark basal and terminal areas. The forewings are white with very dark red-brown basal area and a red-brown terminal area suffused with white scales. The median area has a broad brown band overlain with white scales creating a “ghost-like” appearance in some specimens. The orbicular is indicated by a small black dot and the reniform by a small black crescent. Hindwings white with the basal half light blackish brown, a broad terminal band of the same color followed by a white fringe and a prominent dark discal mark. Antennae simple and sexes similar. It bears a superficial resemblance to some of the small flower moths (Heliothinae).

Scientific Name Pseudacontia crustaria Habitat The Alberta specimen was collected in a small sand blowout on the rim of Lost River valley in the arid grasslands of extreme southeastern Alberta. Seasonality The Alberta specimen was collected June 27, 2007. Identification

A relatively small (2.3-2.6 cm wingspan) moth with white wings with dark basal and terminal areas. The forewings are white with very dark red-brown basal area and a red-brown terminal area suffused with white scales. The median area has a broad brown band overlain with white scales creating a “ghost-like” appearance in some specimens. The orbicular is indicated by a small black dot and the reniform by a small black crescent. Hindwings white with the basal half light blackish brown, a broad terminal band of the same color followed by a white fringe and a prominent dark discal mark. Antennae simple and sexes similar. It bears a superficial resemblance to some of the small flower moths (Heliothinae).

Life History Almost nothing is known. Adults are nocturnal and come to light. Diet Info Nothing is known of the early stages and larval hostplants. Range Poorly known; apparently a Great Plains species found from extreme southeastern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba south to Nebraska and Oklahoma. Notes This is a rarely collected little moth about which we know very little. There are very few Canadian records, and only one for Alberta.

Page Citation

"Species Details - Pseudacontia crustaria, University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum." University of Alberta Museums Search Site, https://search.museums.ualberta.ca/g/2-6101. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.

References

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UASM19655 - Pseudacontia crustaria

University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Place CollectedCanada: Alberta, Lost River Coulee Collected ByMacaulay D.; Machney J.; Pohl, G. Date Collected2001-06-27

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Species Details