Ottawa (Dunrobin), ON Canada

21 April 2005   (moth captured on 19 April 2005)  (top left)
29 March 2004   9:17PM EST  (top right)
7 April 2004   10:35PM EST  (center left)
15 April 2005   12:05AM EST  (center right)
16 April 2004   9:11PM EST  (bottom left)
29 March 2004   9:15Pm EST  (bottom right)
The top right and bottom right photographs illustrate the same specimen.  Several specimens have been collected for the Canadian National Collection in Ottawa. 

Covell (1984) describes Psaphida styracis as having a "pale fawn brown" forewing, and when I watch the deer grazing on my front lawn, it is easy to see that this is a very apt description, as the brown is also flecked with black scales, just as the local deer are rarely a solid brown color.  The well defined reniform spot is pale tan, sometimes with a brown or blackish outline.  The orbicular spot is also pale tan, but of variable size.  The postmedial line is consistently evident, but not always as well-defined as in the top right and bottom photos above.  It is often followed by a brownish shade, most pronounced towards the costa, on the paler gray/tan terminal area.  The inner margin of the forewing is edged with pale gray.  The hindwing is a creamy tan with a faint postmedial line and some light gray-brown shading.

Psaphida styracis usually rests with its wings folded into a tent shape.  When I first encountered this moth in 2002, its "furry" thorax reminded me of 1930's fashion drawings of elegant ladies in their evening coats with fox furs gracefully draped about their shoulders.

The larvae of Psaphida styracis feed on oak, of which three species (Quercus alba, Q. rubra and Q. macrocarpa) are present in my immediate area.  Handfield (1999) suggests a flight season from the end of March to early May in my general area, but I have mainly observed this species around mid-April.

My records of observations of Psaphida styracis (each date representing "the night of") are in the table below: