Common NameDay's Lappet MothSeasonalityLate August.IdentificationA medium size (approx. 3.2 – 4.0 cm wingspan, females larger than males) blue-grey, black and white moth, the body clothed in long soft wooly hair-like scales except for the central part of the dorsal thorax, which is clothed in short curly dark scales. Males have shorter semi-translucent wings that reflect iridescence under strong lighting. Forewings crossed by white antemedian and double postmedian lines, a single thin wavy subterminal line and a thin white terminal line. The hindwings are lighter grey with a wide white median band. Male antennae are strongly bipectinate, females simple. The Larch lappet moth is smaller with much darker males. Tolype species in general are unmistakable.
Scientific NameTolype dayiCommon Name
Day's Lappet Moth
Habitat
They are found in mature conifer forest.
Seasonality
Late August.
Identification
A medium size (approx. 3.2 – 4.0 cm wingspan, females larger than males) blue-grey, black and white moth, the body clothed in long soft wooly hair-like scales except for the central part of the dorsal thorax, which…
A medium size (approx. 3.2 – 4.0 cm wingspan, females larger than males) blue-grey, black and white moth, the body clothed in long soft wooly hair-like scales except for the central part of the dorsal thorax, which is clothed in short curly dark scales. Males have shorter semi-translucent wings that reflect iridescence under strong lighting. Forewings crossed by white antemedian and double postmedian lines, a single thin wavy subterminal line and a thin white terminal line. The hindwings are lighter grey with a wide white median band. Male antennae are strongly bipectinate, females simple. The Larch lappet moth is smaller with much darker males. Tolype species in general are unmistakable.
Life History
Adults are nocturnal and come to light. There is a single generation per year, with adults in late summer. The Alberta series was collected on August 31, 2005. Larvae are relatively uncommon innocuous solitary…
Adults are nocturnal and come to light. There is a single generation per year, with adults in late summer. The Alberta series was collected on August 31, 2005. Larvae are relatively uncommon innocuous solitary defoliator. Mature caterpillars are present mainly in July and August. The egg overwinters. The larvae is described and illustrated in color by Duncan (op. cit.).
Diet Info
Reported larval hosts include Douglas fir, Ponderosa pine, Englemann spruce, Lodgepole pine, White spruce and Western hemlock, with most records from Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine (Prentice, 1963; Duncan, 2006).
Range
BC east to extreme southwestern AB, south in the mountains. In Alberta it is known only from Waterton Lakes National Park, where a number of specimens were collected in late August, 2005.
Notes
Another of the moths recently (2005) added to the Alberta fauna from Waterton Lakes National Park.
The adults illustrated above are from the Moths of Canada website.
Citation
Page Citation for Tolype dayi
Page Citation
"Species Details - Tolype dayi, University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum." University of Alberta Museums Search Site, https://search.museums.ualberta.ca/g/2-6204. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
References
AuthorDuncan, R. W.
TitleConifer Defoliators of British Columbia.
Publication Date2006
Pages359 pp.
AuthorPrentice, R. M.
TitleForest Lepidoptera of Canada. (1963)
Publication Date1963
Volume3
Pages281
Specimen Information
There are 19 specimens of this Species.
19 results plotted on map in 10 markers. Note: Only records with latitude and longitude coordinates are plotted on map.