Syngrapha rectangula (W.F. Kirby, 1837)
Salt-and-pepper Looper
NatureServe Global Rank: G5
Virginia State Rank: S2
VA DGIF Tier: None
Federal Legal Status: None
Virginia Legal Status: None
Description: The wingspan of the Salt-and-pepper Looper is 3-3.5 cm. The front wing is a mottled mix of charcoal gray and silver gray. The basal part of the wing is mostly silver-gray with some charcoal at the leading edge. The middle section of the wing is mostly charcoal gray with a silver-gray spot and double-lobed marking. The outer part of the front wing consists of a dark, jagged pm line with a mostly silver-gray area to its outside. The inside area of the pm line, especially towards the leading edge of the wing, has a prominent white patch. The hind wing is yellowish with grayish brown in the basal and terminal areas. Both wings have checkered fringes.
Similar species: The Salt-and-pepper Looper is slightly similar to a few other Syngrapha species, but the contrast of coloration between the silver and charcoal gray easily separates this species from the other, more drably colored species.
North American Range: Across Canada, reaching south into New England, Appalachia, around the Great Lakes, and along the west coast of the U.S.
VA Observations by Locality: Augusta
Flight season and broods: It flies primarily June through August with some September records.
Habitat and Food Plants: It is found mainly in wet boreal and montane coniferous forests. The larvae feed on the needles of Firs, Hemlocks, Pines, Spruces, and other conifers.
Behavior and Ecology: Active during the day, as well as at dusk and at night.
Population trend and potential threats: Overall, secure throughout its range.
Management practices: Fairly common throughout its range, it does not require conservation management; however, in more southern states where the high-elevation coniferous forests are more scarce, preservation of these tracts would be beneficial.
References: BugGuide. 2012. Accesses at: http://bugguide.net/node/view/43301 on 18Dec2012.
Covell, Charles V. Covell, Jr.; A Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America; Special Publication No. 12; Virginia Museum of Natural History in association with the Smithsonian Institution; 1984, 2005. P. 158.
Moth Photographers Group. 2012. Syngrapha rectangula. Accessed at: http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/species.php?hodges=8942 on 18Dec2012.
NatureServe. 2012. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 7.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: November 2, 2012 ).