''Parabagrotis insularis'' is a species of
moth
Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...
in the family
Noctuidae
The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other f ...
(owlet moths).
It is found in North America,
[ where it has been recorded from southern ]Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...
, along the Pacific Coast through California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
to near the border with Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. The species was described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1876.
The length of the forewings is 13–16 mm. Adults are variable in color and pattern, but can usually be recognized by the reniform spot, which is open towards the costa. The ground color is blackish gray to bright red brown. Adults are on wing from April to October.
The larvae probably feed on various grasses and herbaceous plants, possibly with a preference for the latter.Pacific Northwest Moths
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The MONA or Hodges number for ''Parabagrotis insularis'' is 11047.2.[Pohl, G.R., Patterson, B., & Pelham, J.P. (2016). ]
Taxonomic Checklist of the Lepidoptera of North America, North of Mexico
'
References
Further reading
* Arnett, Ross H. (2000). ''American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico''. CRC Press.
* Lafontaine, J. Donald & Schmidt, B. Christian (2010). "Annotated check list of the Noctuoidea (Insecta, Lepidoptera) of North America north of Mexico". ''ZooKeys'', vol. 40, 1-239.
* Lafontaine, J. Donald / Dominick, R. B. et al., eds. (1998). "Noctuoidea Noctuidae (part) Noctuinae (part - Noctuini)". ''The Moths of America North of Mexico'', fasc. 27.3, 348.
External links
Butterflies and Moths of North AmericaNCBI Taxonomy Browser, ''Parabagrotis insularis''
Noctuinae
Moths described in 1876
{{Noctuoidea-stub