Ottawa (Dunrobin), ON Canada

31 May 2005   11:54PM EST  (left)
10 May 2004   7:38PM EST  (center and right)
The photos at center and right are of the same specimen.

My identification of the specimens illustrated above as Telphusa longifasciella is based on Internet resources and the description in Forbes, William T.M., The Lepidoptera of New York and Neighboring States, Primitive Forms, Microlepidoptera, Pyraloids, Bombyces (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University, 1923).

Telphusa longifasciella has a very dark, somewhat purplish brown forewing. A white stripe angles from the costa near the base of the wing, to the inner margin slightly out from the base, and then extends the length of the inner margin.  In some specimens the white lengthwise streak is interrupted by an oblique dark bar just before the anal angle; the specimens above show only faint evidence of this dark bar.  The fringe is whitish.  The hindwing is whitish, shaded slightly with light gray-brown.  The thorax has a lengthwise whitish stripe in the center, with dark brown on either side.  Forbes (1923) indicates a wingspan of 15 mm for this species.

I have found no information as to the host plant for Telphusa longifasciella. Forbes (1923) indicates an adult flight season in April and May.

My records to date for Telphusa longifasciella (each date representing "the night of") are in the table below: