Bilobed Looper Moth - Megalographa biloba
Oh my, what have we here?
Today's strange-looking specimen was sent to me by a very dear friend of mine from her mom's garden. I'm very grateful for it, especially when it contributes to a new specie for the blog, and one that is somewhat uncommon in Canada, but more on that later. When the wings spread out and ready for a takeoff, they appear as typical Lepidopteran wings, well equipped to fly. When the wings are folded at rest the folds in the wings project upwards, giving this specie its unique appearance (and possibly a help when against trees and branches while camouflaging). The shape of the wing folding which results in those dorsal ornamentations immediately jogged my memory that this was a Looper Moth (subfamily Plusiinae; named for the inchworms "looping" as they move). In fact, it has a strong resemblance to the Common Looper! However, the Common Looper lacks a prominent and large "B-shaped" white spot on its wing accompanied by distinct white, curved markings, indicating this specie was something else.
Going back and forth with my friend, the large white, bilobed wing stigma eventually pointed us in the direction of M. biloba. With that big spot, identification is very easy. It seems to have once been classified as part of Autographa (like the Common Looper), but now sits in its own distinct genus, and is currently the only of its kind in North America, ranging from here in Southern Canada to the bottom of the United States. As mentioned before, the individuals found in Canada are uncommon as the climate is too harsh for them to overwinter. As such, the Moths migrate southward when warmth decreases and new adults return to Canada when temperatures become ideal throughout June and July. Just as as we do with the Monarch Butterfly, perhaps we should keep an eye on this specie too to see how its range changes overtime as temperatures change year to year. A Moth's perspective might be interesting to consider. Unlike the Monarch however, the Bilobed Looper can adapt to a wider range of habitats while there are healthy plants since it is a generalist feeder. Their Caterpillars can be sustained on a wide variety of plants, which has the potential to make them garden and commercial crop pests, much like other Owlet Moths. If you find rotund, heavy, green inchworms on your beans, cabbages and lettuces, maybe direct them to the dandelions instead.
Picture was taken on July 12, 2023 with an iPhone 8 Plus. Thank you dear Lin for sharing it with me.
