Noctuidae - Acontiinae

 

 

 

Ponometia cuta (Smith)

Acontia cuta Smith, 1905, Jl. New York Ent. Soc., 13:211.

Diagnosis: The basal half of the forewing is pure white with the apical half triangular, the point ending at the reniform. The outer half of the forewing is mostly brown except for a triangular brown mark with its base on the costa and the point ending just apical of the reniform. The terminal line is a series of irregular white and black dashes. The fringe is primarily gray-brown but with a large white spot about one-third the distance up from the inner angle. The hindwing is white lightly suffused with yellow-brown. Wing length from base to apex in one selected individual 8 mm.

Distribution: (Based only on specimens in the USNM). Ponometia cuta occurs from western Texas westward into southern Arizona. The species also occurs in most of northern Mexico.

Identification Quality: Good

Larva: Unknown

Foodplants: Unknown

Distribution map based on specimens in the USNM

Ponometia cuta

Ponometia cuta is similar to heonyx. However heonyx lacks a dark, triangular mark reaching from the costa to the reniform. Indeed marks on the costa are entirely absent in heonyx. The fringe of cuta has a large white patch just upward from the inner angle along the outer margin. A white patch is absent in heonyx.

The dark marking in the outer half of the forewing is roughly s-shaped in dorneri with a large, triangular white patch stretching inward from the outer margin to the position of the subterminal line. The dark markings are darker in color than in cuta.

Similar Species

Ponometia heonyx

Ponometia dorneri