Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

  Sighting 1356323

Observation date: May 21, 2023
Submitted by: taylorcreek
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: None.
Status: Resident
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 21, 2023
Coordinator notes: Work done by Jeremy DeWaard shows that DNA barcodes for <i>urticaria</i> and <i>sospeta</i> are identical. The two species appear to be inseparable by COI sequence data, as is the case with many closely related species studied in this paper. Some have suggested that these two are a single species because of the DNA similarity, however, no revision has been published to date reflecting this, and the two are consistently different in the shape of the aedeagus, and the phenologies are different in many areas where the ranges overlap. It should, however, be noted that the two species are separated by male genitalia. See Rindge, 1978.
Checklist region(s): United States, Virginia, Nelson County