Ottawa (Dunrobin), ON Canada

15 May 2003   10:25PM EST  (top)
16 May 2003   (bottom left and right)

All three photos are of the same individual.  This moth was a vigorous flier, and very camera-shy!  After trying repeatedly to get a shot of it at rest, I managed to capture it before it flew away, photographed it the next day in daylight, and then released it.

Xylena nupera is the largest of the three species of Xylena that may occur in my area.  The upper half of the forewing is predominantly creamy tan in color, while the lower half is predominantly dark brown.  The orbicular spot is faintly outlined in the tan area.  The reniform spot, however, is followed by a dark, almost black blotch with a black dash extending outward to the subterminal line, which is pale and somewhat jagged.  The thorax is dark blackish brown, and viewed head-on, as in the bottom right photo, this moth has a somewhat owlish appearance.  The hindwing is a fairly uniform medium brown with a pale fringe.

At rest, seen from above, Xylena nupera looks more or less rectangular, and holds its wings quite flat.  Although this species is superficially similar to Xylena curvimacula (9874), X. curvimacula can easily be distinguished by the presence of a group of concentric elongated loops extending outward from the base of the forewing in the tan-colored part of the wing.

The larvae of Xylena nupera feed on various plants; both Handfield (1999) and Covell (1983) mention cherry, and willow, poplar and grasses have also been cited.  According to Handfield (1999), this moth hibernates as an adult, and flies from early April to early June, and from early September to about mid-October in my general area.

I have photographed this species in 2003, on 15-16, 25 and 26 May.