Moth Photographers Group – Sthenopis purpurascens

Digital Guide to Moth Identification

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Hepialidae

110017 – 0019 Sthenopis purpurascens (Packard, 1863)

Four-spotted Ghost Moth

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Distribution Data for Sthenopis purpurascens

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Distribution:	Across Canada and apparently south to Arizona along the Rockies. Several specimens collected from Apache County, AZ (Ron Wielgus, in lit., 26iv2015).
Larva and Host Plants:	Host familiy: Betulaceae Salicaceae. Host genera: Alnus Populus Salix. Host extended: roots (Nystrom & Ochoa 2006). (Kimberley & Douglas 2025)
Similar Species:	Pinned specimens of related species. (Hint: select View by Region on the related species page.)
Synonymy:	purpurascens (Packard, 1863) (Gorgopis) - MONA 1983: 19 quadriguttatus (Grote, 1864) (Gorgopis) - MONA 1983: [20] semiauratus Neumoegen & Dyar, 1893 (Sthenopis); TL: "Great Slave Lake", Northwest Territory.
Taxonomic Notes:	Sthenopis purpurascens (Packard, 1863): This species includes the former species 0020 - Sthenopis quadriguttatus (Grote, 1864).

References (Caution: DNA barcoding at BOLD provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; some BOLD specimens shown may not be sequenced.)

Barcode of Life (BOLD) - Caution: Identifications often erroneous; DNA barcode provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; many specimens not sequenced.
Grote, A.R., 1864. Descriptions of North American Lepidoptera, No. 3. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Philadelphia, 3: 73.
Packard, A.S., 1863. On Synthetic Types in Insects. Boston Journal of Natural History, 7: 598.
Packard, A.S., 1864. Synopsis of the Bombycidae of the United States. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Philadelphia, 3: 392.
Powell, J. A. & P. A. Opler, 2009. Moths of Western North America, Pl. 13.1f; p. 36. Book Review and ordering
Shropshire, K.J. & D.W. Tallamy, 2025. Lepidoptera of North America, north of Mexico: an annotated list containing geographic ranges and host-plant records. ZooKeys, 1261: 101-113; Suppl. 1. (PDF or read online)
Species Page at BugGuide.Net
Species Page at E. H. Strickland Museum
Species Page at iNaturalist
Species page at Moths of North Dakota.

LG – (cc) Miss. Ent. Mus.

Moth Photographers Group at the Mississippi Entomological Museum at the Mississippi State University

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