Admetovis oxymorus

Admetovis oxymorus possesses a characteristic flame-shaped mark on the forewing, shared with other species in the genus. It can be distinguished from the closely related A. icarus by its less mottled wing pattern and lighter flame mark. Compared to A. icarus, the wings show reduced mottling overall. Accurate identification requires examination of wing pattern details and comparison with voucher specimens.

Found in mountainous regions of western North America. The species occurs at high elevations, with records from central Utah, central Colorado, and the Selkirk Mountains of southeastern British Columbia, including northeastern Oregon.

North America: recorded from central Utah, central Colorado, Selkirk Mountains of southeastern British Columbia, and northeastern Oregon. The full extent of its range may be broader but is obscured by historical misidentification with congeners.

Adults are active from June through August. Activity is nocturnal.

Larvae are believed to be climbing cutworms that feed on woody shrubs, based on inference from related species in the genus. Direct observations of feeding behavior have not been documented.

Nocturnal activity pattern. Adults are attracted to light.

The species has been misidentified in historical collections, leading to confusion in biodiversity records. Proper identification supports accurate faunal surveys and conservation assessments in western North American ecosystems.

• Admetovis icarusShares the flame-shaped forewing mark but differs in having more heavily mottled wings and a darker flame mark; occurs at similar high elevations and has been historically confused with A. oxymorus in collections
• Admetovis similarisThird member of the genus sharing the characteristic flame mark; distinguishing features require detailed wing pattern comparison

The species has been frequently misidentified in historical surveys, with specimens later recognized as A. icarus. This suggests published distribution records and abundance data from before 2018 should be treated with caution.

• moth
• Noctuidae
• cutworm
• North America
• high elevation
• nocturnal

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