Ottawa (Dunrobin), ON Canada

21 July 2003   (date of moth capture)  (left)
21 July 2003   8:21PM EST  (right)
Both photos are of the same specimen.

Parapoynx obscuralis is one of four species of Parapoynx recorded from the Ottawa area (J.D. Lafontaine, pers. comm., 2001), all of which are illustrated on this web site. My initial identification of Parapoynx obscuralis was based on Covell (1984), and subsequently checked against Munroe, E., The Moths of North America North of Mexico, Fascicle 13.1, Pyraloidea Pyralidae (Part) (London: E.W. Classey, 1972-1974) and specimens in the Canadian National Collection in Ottawa.

Parapoynx obscuralis has a narrow forewing that is mainly dull brown in color, variably streaked and shaded with darker and lighter brown.  One consistent feature of the forewing is a pale whitish-beige postmedial line that angles outward below the costa and then runs parallel to the outer margin until it reaches the inner margin.  For purposes of identification, it is useful to look at the banding on the whitish hindwing, where three bands are clearly distinguishable in the outer part of the wing.  A narrow band of dark gray-brown crosses the wing at about the midpoint; a wider band of dark gray-brown, almost black, divides the whitish area beyond; a well defined band of dark orange edges the wing along the outer margin.  According to Munroe, the length of the forewing ranges from 7 to 11 mm.

Munroe (1972) indicates that the larvae of Parapoynx obscuralis make cases or nests on various aquatic plants, including eelgrass, pondweeds and yellow waterlilies.

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