University of Alberta Museums Search

A medium-size moth (3.5-5.0 cm wingspan), yellow-brown or rusty-brown with an unusually long abdomen. The forewings are dusted with grey scales usually shading the wings darker in the median and outer areas. Markings are confined to a series of small dark dots marking the postmedian and terminal lines. The reniform and orbicular are faintly indicated. The hindwings are shaded with more grey on the outer half, and the discal mark is usually visibly. The more common A. subflava is lighter in color, especially on the hindwings, and lacks the terminal series of dots on the forewing.

The adults are nocturnal and come to light. There is a single brood each year. The larvae are reported to start off as leaf miners, but develop into stem borers and spend the later part of their cycle below waterline. They pupate within the stem of the host. The Alberta specimen was collected on August 26, 1940.

This interesting and widespread moth has rarely been collected in Alberta. We do not know whether it is in fact as rare as the single record suggests, or if it is another wetland species that may be overlooked due to the limited amount of light trapping that has taken place in and near wetlands in southern Alberta. As it spends part of its life cycle below waterline, it is considered to be a semi-aquatic moth.