Ottawa (Dunrobin), ON Canada

20 June 2005   9:37PM EST

Leucania insueta is one of eight species of Leucania recorded from the Ottawa area (J.D. Lafontaine, pers. comm., 2001). I loosely divide Leucania into two groups: streaky ones and non-streaky ones; within either group, it can be difficult to distinguish one species from another on the basis of a photograph alone.  My thanks to Mr. J. T. Troubridge of Agriculture Canada for confirming my identification of the specimen illustrated above.

Leucania insueta has a light yellowish beige forewing with reddish brown shading between pale veins.  The darkest shading runs the length of the center of the wing on either side of the pale Cu vein, and in the area outside the postmedial line.  There is a pale beige streak along the length of the costa nearly to the apex.  A shade line runs from the outer margin near the apex to parallel the lower half of the postmedial line, which is marked by a row of dark dots.  Outside the shade line, the pale veins stand out against the dark reddish brown shading.  The hindwing is pale beige with slight grayish shading near the outer margin.

According to Handfield (1999), the larvae of Leucania insueta have been reported to feed on brome grass, quack grass and orchard-grass.  For my general area, he indicates two generations per year, with adult flight seasons early June into the first third of July, and from after mid-July nearly to the end of August.

My only record to date for Leucania insueta (each date representing "the night of") is in the table below: