Amolita roseola (J. B. Smith, 1903)
Roseate Grass Moth
NatureServe Global Rank: G5
Virginia State Rank: S1
VA DGIF Tier: None
Federal Legal Status: None
Virginia Legal Status: None
Description: The Roseate Grass Moth is a somewhat plain, light-tan colored moth. The wings slightly darken towards the apex, or there are two indistinct, darker-shaded lines that converge immediately past the apex of the front wing. There is variable black speckling on the front wings and a group of usually three small black dots about one-third the distance from the apex. A row of black dots parallels the outside edge of the front wing on the immediate inside of the fringe. The hind wing is pale whitish-tan.
Similar species: The Roseate Grass Moth is very similar to the Oblique Grass Moth (Amolita obliqua) which has the same dark diagonal markings except the line to the inside of the wing is more distinct and traverses almost the entire wing, while the same mark in the Roseate Grass Moth crosses about half the wing. The lines in the Oblique Grass Moth run more parallel until they turn toward intersecting near the apex, while the lines in the Roseate Grass Moth are not aligned parallel, always on a course to intersect past the apex. The Feeble Grass Moth (Amolita fessa) is also similar but the inside line originates at the base of the wing and then runs the length of the wing, curving towards the apex.
North American Range: The Roseate Grass Moth is found from Ohio and southeastern Massachusetts south to Florida and Texas.
VA Observations by Locality: Prince William
Flight season and broods: There is one brood in the north in the mid-summer, and multiple broods in the south.
Habitat and Food Plants: In Connecticut, Pennsylvania Sedge (Carex pensylvanica) is the larval host.
Behavior and Ecology: Unknown
Population trend and potential threats: Habitat destruction could be a threat to this species.
Management practices: Populations should be monitored and habitats preserved.
References: Moth Photographers Group at the Mississippi Entomological Museum at Mississippi State University. Web application at: http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/large_map.php?hodges=9821 Accessed: 09Apr2013
NatureServe. 2011. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 7.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: 18Apr2012).
Wagner, D. L., D.F. Schweitzer, J.B. Sullivan, and R.C. Reardon. 2011. Owlet Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. 576pp.