eastern grass-veneer

not listed

NNR - Unranked

not listed

Eastern grass-veneer is a small moth but a medium-sized grass-veneer. It occurs in the United States and southern Canada east of the Great Plains. It is common and widespread in the east, less common in Minnesota, where it reaches the western extent of its range. The larvae feed on grasses. Adults fly from May through June in Minnesota, from April to August in other parts of its range.

Adults are narrow bodied, they are ⅝″ (15 mm) in length, and they have a ⅞″ to 13⁄16″ (23 to 30 mm) wingspan.

The antennae are long and thread-like. They are held straight back over the body when at rest. The finger-like sensory organs (palps) attached to the mouth are long and densely hairy. They are projected forward, appearing like a fuzzy snout.

The forewings are narrow and brownish-yellow. There is a long, broad, silvery-white streak along most of the length of the wing, terminating in the postmedial area. The streak is narrow at the base, gradually widens to beyond the middle, and abruptly narrows to a point in the postmedial area. It is bisected almost to the base by a narrow brown streak. There is also a smaller, spindle-shaped, silvery-white patch in the post-medial area between the streak and the leading edge (costal margin). Thin silvery-white streaks with black edges extend obliquely from the streak to the inner margin, between the streak and the patch to the outer margin, and near the inner margin from the base to the subterminal line. The subterminal line is barely visible. The terminal line is black, thin, and complete near the costal margin but breaks into a series of dots continuing to the inner margin. The streaks in the postmedial area continue as thin black lines through the subterminal area and end with black dots representing the terminal line.

The hind wings are gray.

Total length: ⅝″ (15 mm)

Wingspan: ⅞″ to 13⁄16″ (23 to 30 mm)

May through June in Minnesota

Adults rest with their wings held tight to the body, forming a tubular shape. They are active at night and will come to lights.

Grasses

Sources

4, 21, 27, 29, 30, 75, 82, 83.

Common

Crambus Eastern Grass Veneer - Crambus laqueatellus

Photographed on May 29, 2021 at Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI.

Location: Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI

Photographed on May 29, 2021 at Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI.