Moth Photographers Group – Bellura obliqua

Digital Guide to Moth Identification

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Noctuidae

932517 – 9525 Bellura obliqua (Walker, 1865)

Cattail Borer

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Larva and Host Plants:	Borer of Typha. (see references) -- Host familiy: Alismataceae Araceae Nelumbonaceae Nymphaeaceae Pontederiaceae Solanaceae Typhaceae[Sparganiaceae]. Host genera: Nelumbo Nuphar Pontederia Sagittaria Solanum[=Lycopersicon] Sparganium Symplocarpus Typha. Host extended: bores into the stems of many wetland plant (Crabo et al 2014); Bellura bores in to stems of aquatic ... (Kimberley & Douglas 2025)
Similar Species:	932518 Bellura densa: "the angle of the reniform relative to the FW costa is important for densa vs obliqua (closer to right angle for densa); also obliqua is usually earlier in the season and has only one flight, densa has two flights, in late spring and late summer; densa usually has a darker purplish tint overall, and a more squared-off forewing shape, and also often with the abdomen sticking out past the wings." - Chris Schmidt (pers. comm. 4/29/2020). Pinned specimens of related species. (Hint: select View by Region on the related species page.)
Synonymy:	obliqua (Walker, 1865) (Edema) - MONA 1983: 9525 ssp. a. obliqua (Walker, 1865) (Edema); TL: Orilla, ON. obliquata (Grote & Robinson, 1868) (Arzama) ssp. b. pallida Barnes & Benjamin, 1924 (Bellura) ssp. c. gargantua (Dyar, 1913) (Sphida)

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.
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 Mass Moths
Species Page at Pacific Northwest Moths
Species Page at iNaturalist
Walker, F., 1865. Tortricites and Tineites. List of the specimens of lepidopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum, 32: 428.

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

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