Pseudohermonassa bicarnea (Guenée)

Pogue, Michael G., 2006, The Noctuinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, U. S. A., Zootaxa 1215 (1), pp. 1-95 : 55-56

23. Pseudohermonassa bicarnea (Guenée) Pink­spotted Dart

( Fig. 64, Map 41)

Identification: Forewing length 15.0–19.0 mm. In the Park this species can be recognized

by the dark gray forewing with rufous basal area and subapical costal spot. Orbicular and reniform spots are generally ground color with a few rufous scales along the edges. A black irregularly shaped patch is present between rufous basal area and orbicular spot and a black quadrate patch between orbicular and reniform spots. Antemedial line is dark reddish brown at distal edge of basal area and may or may not extend to posterior margin. Postmedial line is rufous and lies in the middle of the subapical costal spot and may or may not extend to posterior margin as a series of black dots or short lines. Subterminal line is a series of white to tan irregularly shaped spots and dots that extend to near posterior margin. Hindwing is dark gray in fresh specimens and tends to lighten in color as specimens become more worn.

Flight period: Collected from late July to early October.

Collected localities: North Carolina: Haywood Co., 5.2 mi N of Jct. Blue Ridge Parkway & Balsam Mountain Rd. on Flat Creek Trail , Cataloochee , Purchase Knob , Purchase Knob at house, Purchase Knob E of house forest, Purchase Knob house, Purchase Knob NE of house field; Swain Co. , Big Cove Road site b, Big Cove Road site c, Big Cove Road site p, Big Cove Road site w, 1.2 mi NE Clingman’s Dome parking lot Noland Divide Trail, 3.3 mi NE Clingman’s Dome parking lot Fork Ridge Trail . Tennessee: Blount Co., Cades Cove near Ranger Station, Cades Cove ATBI house 2000 m SW, Gregory Bald, Tremont; Cocke Co. , Foothills Parkway East, Foothills Parkway 2 nd overlook East; Sevier Co. , Greenbrier Ranger Station . (38 specimens)

Elevation range: 1360–6000 ft. (414–1829 m)

General distribution: This is an eastern North American species that ranges as far west as south­central Saskatchewan, Canada and central North Dakota, and south to western North Carolina. ( Lafontaine 1998). The collections from GSMNP are new records for the state of Tennessee.

MAP 41. Collecting localities of Pseudohermonassa bicarnea .

Larval hosts: Larval hosts seem to be the grasses Glyceria maxima (Hartman)

Holmb. and G. canadensis (Michx.) Trin. (Poaceae) ( McCabe1991). However, Crumb (1956) listed blueberry ( Vaccinium spp. , Ericaceae ), gray birch ( Betula populifolia Marsh. , Betulaceae ), common dandelion ( Taraxacum officinale , Asteraceae ), maple ( Acer sp. , Aceraceae ), and meadowsweet ( Spiraea alba Du Roi var. latifolia (Ait.) Dippel , Rosaceae ). In rearings by McCabe (1991) larvae rejected velvetleaf huckleberry ( Vaccinium mytillides Michx. , Ericaceae ), common yarrow ( Achillea millefolium L., Asteraceae ), paper birch ( Betula papyrifera , Betulaceae ), raspberry ( Rubus idaeus , Rosaceae ), stinging nettle ( Urtica dioica L., Urticaceae ), spreading dogbane ( Apocynum androsaemifolium L., Apocynaceae ), and common elderberry ( Sambucus nigra L. ssp. canadensis (L.) R. Bolli, Caprifoliaceae ).