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Orgyia leucostigma sablensis

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Orgyia leucostigma sablensis

Imperiled  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Genus: Orgyia
Species:
Subspecies:
O. l. sablensis
Trinomial name
Orgyia leucostigma sablensis
Neil, 1979[2]

Orgyia leucostigma sablensis is a subspecies of Orgyia leucostigma, the white-marked tussock moth, found only on Sable Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. The subspecies was first described by Kenneth Neil in 1979.

Description

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Physical

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O. l. sablensis shares many common characteristics with its mainland counterpart, O. l. plagiata.[2] Males and females of O. l. sablensis share the same antennae, palpi, genitalia and vestiture as O. l. plagiata.[2] Males of the subspecies have a rusty brown coloured forewing and have marking similar to that O. l. plagiata but are generally less distinctive.[2] The grey colouring found on the median area of O. l. plagiata are generally absent in males on Sable Island, reduced to a small patch of colouring or absent altogether.[2] The discal dot for males of the subspecies is obscure and indistinct.[2] The undersides of both wings in males are a rusty brown colour, while the upper-sides are a solid rusty brown.[2] Females of the subspecies are a very light grey colour, and have small wing pads present.[2]

Behavior

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Like O. l. plagiata, O. l. sablensis has a flight period that occurs from late July to mid-September.[2] The subspecies is a general feeder, and its larva has been found in blueberry, cranberry, bayberry and several species of sedges and grasses.[2]

Conservation

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The subspecies does not appear to face short-term threats and is currently common. However, it is threatened in the long term by sea level rise.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b NatureServe (31 May 2024). "Orgyia leucostigma sablensis". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Neil, Kenneth (1979). "A new subspecies of Orgyia leucostigma from Sable Island, NS" (PDF). Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society. 33 (4): 245–247.