Lasionycta uniformis
Encyclopedia
Lasionycta uniformis is a moth
of the Noctuidae
family. It is widely distributed in the mountains of western North America
. It occurs from southern Yukon
to northern California
and Colorado
, with an isolated population in eastern Quebec
.
It flies over alpine tundra
and is most common on rocky slopes near treeline. It is predominantly nocturnal, is attracted to light and can be found feeding at Silene acaulis. Adults have been collected from.
Adults are on wing from early July to late August.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Noctuidae
Noctuidae
The Noctuidae or owlet moths are a family of robustly-built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera. They constitute the largest family in the Lepidoptera....
family. It is widely distributed in the mountains of western North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. It occurs from southern Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
to northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, with an isolated population in eastern Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
It flies over alpine tundra
Alpine tundra
Alpine tundra is a natural region that does not contain trees because it is at high altitude. Alpine tundra is distinguished from arctic tundra, because alpine soils are generally better drained than arctic soils...
and is most common on rocky slopes near treeline. It is predominantly nocturnal, is attracted to light and can be found feeding at Silene acaulis. Adults have been collected from.
Adults are on wing from early July to late August.
Subspecies
- Lasionycta uniformis uniformis (Rocky Mountains and Purcell Mountains of southwestern British Columbia north to northeastern British Columbia)
- Lasionycta uniformis multicolor (from Montana Mountain in southwestern Yukon, south in the British Columbia Coast Range to the Cascades in southern Washington)
- Lasionycta uniformis fusca (from central Colorado and northern Utah to the Beartooth Plateau on the Wyoming-Montana border)
- Lasionycta uniformis shasta (on Mount Shasta in the Cascade Range of northern California. It might be more widely distributed in northern California and Oregon in the southern Cascades or Klamath Mountains)
- Lasionycta uniformis handfieldi (on Mount Albert in the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec)