Ottawa (Dunrobin), ON Canada

7 May 2003   8:09PM EST

The specimen in the photo above was collected and given to the Canadian National Collection in Ottawa.  My thanks to Dr. J. Donald Lafontaine of Agriculture Canada for his assistance with identifying this species.  Five species of Semioscopis are known to occur in the Ottawa area, of which S. packardella and S. merriccella (also illustrated on this web site) have many similarities in appearance.

As described by Hodges (Hodges, R.W., The Moths of North America North of Mexico, Fascicle 6.2, Gelechioidea Oecophoridae (London: E.W. Classey, 1974)), the somewhat silvery, brownish gray forewing of S. packardella has a continuous, somewhat sinuous black band running from the base to the end of the cell.  In contrast, in the few specimens of the similar S. merriccella that I have seen, this sinuous band does not extend to the base of the forewing.  In S. packardella, the area between the sinuous band and the costa may be shaded somewhat darker than the rest of the wing.  According to Hodges, the wing length of S. packardella ranges from 10 to 13.5 mm.

I could find no definite information as to host plants for this species.  The adult moth flies in the spring.

I have photographed this species in 2001 on 8 May; in 2002 on 25 May; in 2003 on 7 May.