Moths of North Dakota

Noctuoidea Notodontidae: Nystaleinae


Symmerista canicosta Franclemont 1946

Common name: Red-humped oakworm

Hodges #: 7952

Identification: Rfw 18.8 mm, with a pale streak from discal cell to apex; streak with white tooth just distad of reniform about as wide as high; s.t. line appears as a series of sinuate black marks in each cell.. Scape of antennae with long scale tuft, palpi prorect, longer than height of eye.  Male with emargination of eighth sternite wider than deep.  

Similar species: 7951, 7953, 7983, 8005.

Distribution: southern Canada and temperate United States east of the Great Plains.

Hosts: Larval feed on Oaks- Quercus.

Note: Prior to 1946, S. canicosta, S. leucitys and S. albifrons were thought to be a single species going under the latter name.  See the Key to Notodontidae of the Dakotas for separation of these three species.  The true S. albifrons does not occur in the Dakotas.
 

 

MN. Becker Co., 30- VI- 1961.  R. Poole.

 

Head of S. canicosta showing tuft of scales on antennal scape.

 

Larva, pic courtesy of A. Steven Munson, USDA Forest Service, Forestry Images, Bugworld.org

 

 

              

Forewings of S. canicosta (left) and S. leucitys (right): comparison of markings.

 

Ventral abdomen f S. canicosta showing emargination (pink cross) of eighth sternite (blue arrow) wider than deep and with rounded mesal lobes (green arrows).

         

 

 

 

 


Last updated: 04/14/09

Good web citizens cite their sources. 


This resource is to be cited as: Fauske, G. M.  [date of cited page]. cited page
 in Moths of North Dakota: an online identification guide. 
< http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/ndsu/ndmoths/ >



Dr. Gerald M. Fauske
collection manager, NDSIRC
research specialist, NDSU
216 Hultz Hall
Fargo, ND 58105
E-Mail: Gerald.Fauske@ndsu.edu

 
Published by the Department of Entomology 


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