Ottawa (Dunrobin), ON Canada

18 July 2003   7:36PM EST  (left)
18 July 2003   7:37PM EST  (center)
12 June 2004   10:28PM EST  (right)
The photos at left and center are of the same specimen.

My identification of the specimens illustrated above as Pseudochelaria walsinghami 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).

Pseudochelaria walsinghami has a brownish gray forewing with distinctive dark brown markings.  When the wings are closed, a dark brown patch on the back of the thorax merges with dark brown patches at the base of the wings to form a prominent, well-defined, vaguely diamond-shaped, dark brown mark.  The area adjacent to this basal mark is paler brownish gray.  The medial area is mostly dark brown except along the inner margin.  Two tufts of whitish scales can be seen at the inner edge of the dark brown median in the photos at left and center above.  The outer edge of the dark brown area is a well-defined smooth curve, followed by pale brownish gray, shaded again with brown at the apex.  The terminal line is a series of short dark dashes, contrasting with the lighter grayish fringe.  The hindwing is pale.  Forbes (1923) indicates a wingspan of 15 mm for this species.

According to Forbes (1923), the larvae of Pseudochelaria walsinghami live in white webs on the undersides of leaves and along the petioles of staghorn sumach. He indicates an adult flight season from late May to July.

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