Lasionycta impingens
Encyclopedia
Lasionycta impingens is a moth
of the Noctuidae
family. It occurs from southern Yukon
to Colorado
.
It is diurnal. Adults are common in alpine tundra
. It feeds on nectar of a Penstemon
species on the Beartooth Plateau, Montana, as well as on Mertensia paniculata
and a Senecio
, likely Senecio lugens at Pink Mountain, British Columbia.
Adults are on wing in July and 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 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 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...
.
It is diurnal. Adults are common in 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...
. It feeds on nectar of a Penstemon
Penstemon
Penstemon , Beard-tongue, is a large genus of North American and East Asian plants traditionally placed in the Scrophulariaceae family. Due to new genetic research, it has now been placed in the vastly expanded family Plantaginaceae...
species on the Beartooth Plateau, Montana, as well as on Mertensia paniculata
Mertensia paniculata
The Tall Lungwort, Tall Bluebell, or Northern Bluebell, Mertensia paniculata is an herb or dwarf shrub with a bright blue coloring, shaped like a bell and drooping...
and a Senecio
Senecio
Senecio is a genus of the daisy family that includes ragworts and groundsels. The flower heads are normally rayed, completely yellow, and the heads are borne in branched clusters...
, likely Senecio lugens at Pink Mountain, British Columbia.
Adults are on wing in July and August.
Subspecies
- Lasionycta impingens impingens (from southern Yukon southward in the Rocky Mountains to southern British Columbia and Alberta, and in southwestern British Columbia at Pavilion north of Lillooet)
- Lasionycta impingens curta (in the Rocky Mountains from southern Montana to Colorado)