Pink Spotted Dart

Adults in late July and early August.

An eastern species, found from NS west to central southern Alberta, south to ND and KY. In Alberta it has been collected in the Red Deer River valley at the Tolman Bridge Recreation Area, and in the dunes southeast of Wainwright.

A medium-size moth (approx. 3.5 – 3.8 cm wingspan) with dark, almost black, red-brown forewings and lighter brown hindwings. Forewing markings consist of a light yellowish doubled curved antemedial line and a faint almost obsolete dark postmedian line. The area basad of the antemedial line is usually partially filled with light brown or yellowish scales. The small orbicular spot and larger reniform spot are only slightly lighter than the ground, and are preceded and separated by jet black in the cell. The subterminal line is indicated by a few pale scales, in particular where it approaches the lower margin. The most prominent marking is a pale yellowish or pale pink diffuse blotch on the costa just distad of the reniform spot, from which it gets its common name. Most similar to P. tenuicula, which it differs from in the curved antemedial line (straight in tenuicula) and by the pale yellowish or pinkish blotch on the costa just distad of the reniform spot (absent in tenuicula). Bicarnea is also noticeably larger and broader-winged than tenuicula.

It frequents in open wooded areas, edges and meadows.

Adults are nocturnal and come to light. There is a single annual brood here, with adults in late July and early August. The larvae is described and illustrated in color in Lafontaine (1998).

The larval hosts are in part uncertain; Crumb (1956) listed a variety of plants in several families, including blueberry, Gray birch, dandelion and Spiraea. However, McCabe (1991) found the larvae would only feed on two species of grass (Glyceria maxima (Hartm.) Holmb. and G. canadaensis (Michx.) and rejected blueberry, Grey birch, raspberry, yarrow, nettle, dogbane and elder.

Pseudohermonassa bicarnea, the pink-spotted dart, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Achille Guenée in 1852. It is found in eastern North America, and as far west as south-central Saskatchewan and central North Dakota, south to western North Carolina. It has recently been recorded from Tennessee.

The wingspan is 32–43 mm. Adults are on wing from July to October. There is one generation per year.

The larvae probably feed on Glyceria maxima and Glyceria canadensis. Older records list Vaccinium, Betula populifolia, Taraxacum officinale, Acer and meadowsweet as food plants.