Observation date: June 06, 2021
Submitted by: wilderneyes
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: Moth was sighted drawn to exterior lights. From head to wingtips, excluding antennae, it is approximately 3/4 of an inch in length. Antennae are pale in the centre and darkly feathered, legs are white save for the foremost pair, which have faint dark speckling. Collar is thickly furred, parted slightly. Wing colouration is almost entirely white save for two small black dots on each wing, light speckling at the wingtips, and what looks to be at least a hint of orange on the ventral side of the body. Edit: the colour of the body and side stripes, or lack thereof, was unable to be verified. Just based on the variation of wing dots between S. congrua and S. virginica, it seems to me that the latter tends to have markings that form lines along the centre and inner edges of the wings, whereas S. congrua appears to more often have markings in diagonal formation, which the pictured moth seems to more resemble.
Status: Resident
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: June 20, 2021
Coordinator notes: Leucoma salicis would not have black spots on wings. From your written description, this sounds like it could be Spilosoma congrua. Was the abdomen pure white, or did it have orange and black spots down its sides?
