I replied:
"Hi Tom,
"I would go with unijuga even though they are on small side of wingspan range.
"I have also been told by Harry Dale King, who is quite knowledgable, that wingspan of semirelicta is usually more in 55mm range in Michigan.
I wish permission to post them, credited to you, from a link on unijuga page?"
After posting this reply to Tom, I also posted the "plate" to both the semirelicta page and to the unijuga page, and I noticed an additional character which seems
fairly consistent:
In unijuga, in the same respective areas, the 1) internal cap is thinner and almost reaches wing veins, 2) the outer circles are less distinct and greyish,
3) the outer, thinner arcs are common to both species. I do not know if this feature is consistent, but if present with other characters mentioned above,
it will add additional confidence in determining the two species.
Reasons:
1) black median band on hindwing almost reaches the inner margin; I expect it to be more distant in semirelicta;
2) there are some dark hairs in basal median area of hindwings on all three specimens, typical of unijuga; I expect a “clearer complexion” in semirelicta
(no blackish grey hairs in hindwing basal median areas) This is my primary reason;
3) semirelicta usually have a lighter overall appearance to forewing ground colour, less contracting than in unijuga;
4) absence of diffuse dark bar on forewing, paralleling the inner margin, usually present in semirelicta, reduced to thick outline along inside of last
inward projection on unijuga.
In semirelicta, there seems to be, in the marginal area of the forewing outer margin, moving from body to outer wing edge,
1) thick black arcs, not extending to wing veins between each pair of veins, 2) atop small whitish circles outlined in black except for outer edge of circles, 3)
atop thin black arcs that
run from wing vein to wing vein.
Catocala semirelicta, Wagner Bog, edmonton, Alberta, August 2, 1998, SEM.
This site has been created by
Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.
TAXONOMY:Superfamily: Noctuoidea |
"Moon River" |
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