Ottawa (Dunrobin), ON Canada

14 April 2006   10:50PM EST  (left)
12 April 2006   11:11PM EST  (right)

Epinotia sotipena is one of about 25 species of Epinotia that have been recorded from the Ottawa area.  My thanks to Dr. Jean-François Landry of Agriculture Canada for identifying the specimen illustrated at right above, which was collected and given to the Canadian National Collection in Ottawa.  This specimen has also been included in the All Leps Barcode of Life project of the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario at the University of Guelph.  Some additional information has been gleaned from Internet resources and from Brown, R.L. (1986), "Resurrection of Catastega Clemens and revision of the Epinotia vertumnana (Zeller) species-group (Tortricidae: Olethreutinae)," J. Lep. Soc., vol. 40, no. 4, pp. 327-346.

The forewing of Epinotia sotipena is light grayish brown, with a slightly mottled or stippled appearance.  A streak of dark brown in the middle of the wing extends outward from the base nearly to the midpoint of the wing.  A dark brown fascia originates at the midpoint of the costa and curves downward and outward, sometimes joining with a dark spot near the apex. There are several short pairs of pale lines at the costa, especially in the outer half.  Brown (1986) notes that most specimens are suffused with grayish orange between the median fascia and the apex, and sometimes also in the area between base and median fascia. Brown also indicates a forewing length of 5.8 to 8.2 mm.

Brown (1986) lists several paratype specimens collected in the Ottawa area on dates ranging from shortly after mid-April into the first week of May. He indicates the larval host plant is unknown.

My records to date for Epinotia sotipena (each date representing "the night of") are in the table below: