Ottawa (Dunrobin), ON Canada

23 June 2003   11:10PM EDT  (left)
25 June 2002   11:55PM EDT  (right)

Spartiniphaga panatela is a smallish, pale moth with a whitish beige forewing shaded in grayish tan, especially toward the costa.  The antemedial and postmedial lines are marked by dark dots; in the photos above, the only evidence of the am line is a single dot near the inner margin, although the dots of the pm line are mostly evident.  A dark gray streak runs through the middle of the median touching the lower ends of the indistinct orbicular and reniform spots.  There is some gray-brown shading in the subterminal area, heaviest towards the middle of the outer margin.  The terminal line is a dark dashed line.  Hindwings are pale grayish white, with a dark dashed terminal line.

Because Spartiniphaga panatela appears to be associated with wetlands and marshy wooded areas, it has been postulated that its larvae are borers on the stems or roots of a marsh plant or plants, but the host plant is unknown (Handfield, 1999).  Handfield indicates an adult flight season from mid-June to early July for my general area.

I have photographed this species only twice, in 2002, on 25 June; in 2003, on 23 June.