Ottawa (Dunrobin), ON Canada

16 April 2004   11:16PM EST  (top)
1 April 2005 (moth captured 31 March 2005)  (bottom)   

Lithophane antennata is one of over 20 species of Lithophane that have been recorded from the Ottawa area (J.D. Lafontaine, pers.comm., 2001).  My thanks to J.T. Troubridge of Agriculture Canada for confirming the identification of several specimens, including the one in the bottom photo.

Lithophane antennata has a light gray forewing with fairly well defined markings.  The antemedial and postmedial lines are faint but recognizable.  In the basal area, there is a noticeably paler gray area next to the costa, bordered below by a clear black dash; there is often a hint of pale orange immediately above the dash.  The orbicular spot is double, with a pale gray filling in the upper part; the lower part is filled with a darker gray more similar to the overall wing color.  Between the orbicular and reniform spots, a darker gray shade crosses the wing.  The reniform spot is mostly filled with orange, except for a bit of dark gray at the lower end.  The subterminal line consists of dark smudges, sometimes with a hint of brown.  The hindwing is gray-brown with a slightly lighter fringe.  According to Covell (1984), the wingspan ranges from 3.5 to 4.2 cm.

The larvae of Lithophane antennata feed on apple and other fruit trees, and also such other trees as red oak, hickory and ash (Handfield, 1999).  According to Handfield, this species overwinters as an adult, with flight seasons in my general area from early April to mid-May, and from mid-September to early November.

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