Sympistis columbia

McDunnough, 1922

Sympistis columbia is a noctuid described by James Halliday McDunnough in 1922. The was transferred from the Oncocnemis to Sympistis in 2008 based on phylogenetic revision. It is known from a limited number of observations in western North America, with confirmed records in British Columbia, Canada.

Sympistis greyi 03 by CBG Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics. Used under a CC0 license.

Sympistis cibalis 01 by CBG Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics. Used under a CC0 license.

Sympistis sp. (9095414327) by Donald Hobern from Copenhagen, Denmark. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Sympistis columbia: /sɪmˈpɪstɪs kəˈlʌmbiə/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Distinguished from former Oncocnemis by genitalic characters that prompted its transfer to Sympistis in 2008. Similar species within Sympistis require examination of genitalic structures for definitive identification.

Images

Appearance

Wingspan approximately 35 mm. Specific coloration and pattern details are not documented in available sources.

Distribution

Confirmed in British Columbia, Canada. Possibly occurs further south into the United States, though this remains unverified.

Diet

Larvae feed on Holodiscus discolor (oceanspray or creambush). feeding habits are unknown.

Host Associations

Holodiscus discolor - larval food plantConfirmed larval

Similar Taxa

Oncocnemis speciesFormerly classified in this ; separated by genitalic and molecular in 2008 revision
Other Sympistis speciesCongeneric in western North America require genitalic examination for reliable differentiation

More Details

Taxonomic history

Originally described as Oncocnemis columbia McDunnough, 1922. Transferred to Sympistis columbia in 2008 as part of a major generic reclassification of the Oncocnemis complex based on morphological and molecular data.