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Litter Moths
Page Last Updated: October 12 2020
23 species
Grayish Zanclognatha - wingspan approx. 3 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Zanclognatha
Species: Pedipilalis
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
Speckled Renia - wingspan approx. 2.5 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Renia
Species: Adspergillus
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
Black-banded Owlet Moth - wingspan approx. 2.5 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Phalaenostola
Species: Larentioides
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
More Early Zanclognatha Moths
Updated October 20 2019
More Early Zanclognatha Moths
More Speckled Renia Moths
Updated February 18 2017
More Speckled Renia Moths
Dark-banded Owlet Moth - wingspan approx. 2.5 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Phalaenophana
Species: Pyramusalis
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
Morbid Owlet Moth - wingspan approx. 3 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Chytolita
Species: Morbidalis
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
Bent-winged Owlet Moth - length approx. 1.5 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Bleptina
Species: Caradrinalis
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
Dark-spotted Palthis Moth - length approx. 1.5 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Palthis
Species: Angulalis
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
Bent-winged Owlet Moth - length approx. 1.5 cm - wingspan 2 to 3 cm - Toronto Islands - July 2013
Black-banded Owlet Moth on Raspberry - wingspan approx. 2.5 cm - Kortright Centre for Conservation - July 2012
Dark-banded Owlet Moth - wingspan approx. 2.5 cm - Lower Don Valley (Leaside) - August 2008
Morbid Owlet Moth - wingspan approx. 3 cm - Rouge Park - June 2013
More Dark-spotted Palthis Moths
Updated January 4 2017
More Dark-spotted Palthis Moths
Dark-spotted Palthis Moth - length approx. 1.5 cm - wingspan 2 to 2.5 cm - High Park - August 2016
Speckled Renia - wingspan approx. 2.5 cm - Cawthra Park (MIssissauga) - July 2016
Common Idia Moth - length approx. 1.5 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Idia
Species: Aemula
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
More Common Idia Moths
Updated February 6 2019
More Common Idia Moths
Glossy Black Idia Moth - length approx. 1.5 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Idia
Species: Lubricalis
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
Glossy Black Idia Moth - length approx. 1.5 cm - wingspan 2.5 to 3.5 cm - Leaside Industrial Area - June 2014
More Glossy Black Idia Moths
Updated December 11 2017
More Glossy Black Idia Moths
Common Idia Moth - length approx. 1.5 cm - wingspan 2 to 3 cm - High Park - June 2017
American Idia Moth - length approx. 1.5 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Idia
Species: Americalis
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
More American Idia Moths
Updated September 1 2016
More American Idia Moths
American Idia Moth - length approx. 1.5 cm - wingspan 2 to 3 cm - High Park - July 2016
Slant-lined Owlet Moth - wingspan approx. 3 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Macrochilo
Species: Absorptalis
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
Slant-lined Owlet Moth - wingspan approx. 3 cm - High Park - July 2016
Faint-spotted Palthis Moth - length approx. 1.5 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Palthis
Species: Asopialis
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
Faint-spotted Palthis Moth - length approx. 1.5 cm - wingspan 2 to 2.5 cm - High Park - August 2016
Yellow-spotted Renia - wingspan approx. 3 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Renia
Species: Flavipunctalis
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
Yellow-spotted Renia - wingspan approx. 3 cm - High Park - July 2016
Smoothly curved PM line as compared to the Speckled
Renia (see below)
Similar to Sober Renia (R. sobrialis) - jagged PM line as
compared to the Yellow-spotted Renia (see above)
Sociable Renia - wingspan approx. 2.5 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Renia
Species: Factiosalis
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
Sociable Renia - wingspan approx. 2.5 cm - High Park - July 2017
More Sociable Renia Moths
Updated December 1 2017
More Sociable Renia Moths
More Bent-winged Owlet Moths
Updated December 11 2017
More Bent-winged Owlet Moths
Smoky Idia Moth - wingspan approx. 2 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Idia
Species: Scobialis
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
More Black-banded Owlet Moths
Updated June 6 2019
More Black-banded Owlet Moths
Ambiguous Moth - approx. 1.5 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Lascoria
Species: Ambigualis
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
Ambiguous Moth - approx. 1.5 cm - Rouge Park - June 2019
Wavy-lined Zanclognatha - wingspan approx. 3 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Zanclognatha
Species: Jacchusalis
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
Wavy-lined Zanclognatha - wingspan approx. 3 cm - Speyside (Halton Hills) - July 2017
Variable Zanclognatha - wingspan approx. 3 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Zanclognatha
Species: Laevigata
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
Variable Zanclognatha - wingspan approx. 3 cm - High Park - August 2017
Grayish Zanclognatha - wingspan approx. 3 cm - West Don Valley (Sunnybrook Park) - June 2011
Also known as Grayish Fan-foot - similar to Early
Zanclognatha (see below) but  ST line does not extend to
wing margin
Early Zanclognatha - wingspan approx. 3 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Zanclognatha
Species: Cruralis
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
Also known as Early Fan-foot - similar to Grayish
Zanclognatha (see above) but  ST line extends to wing
margin - possibly Dark Zanclognatha (Zanclognatha
obscuripennis)
Early Zanclognatha - wingspan approx. 3 cm - Lower Don Valley (Crother's Woods) - June 2018
Complex Zanclognatha - wingspan approx. 3 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Zanclognatha
Species: Protumnusalis
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
Complex Zanclognatha - wingspan approx. 3 cm - High Park - July 2019
Similar to Yellowish Zanclognatha (Z. marcidilinea)
Also known as Complex Fan-foot  - AM and PM lines are
thicker at  leading edge of the forewing (costa)
Julia's Idia Moth - length approx. 1.5 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Idia
Species: Julia
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
Julia's Idia Moth - length approx. 1.5 cm - High Park - July 2017
Similar to Rotund Idia (I. rotundalis)
Smoky Idia Moth - wingspan approx. 2 cm - Speyside (Halton Hills) - July 2017
Concise Idia Moth - length approx. 1.5 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Idia
Species: Concisa
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
Concise Idia Moth - length approx. 1.5 cm - wingspan 2 to 3 cm - High Park - July 2019
Similar to Idia aemula (see above) but I. concisa has a pale
hindwing and a stronger median bar in the forewing
Discolored Renia - wingspan to 4.5 cm
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Genus: Renia
Species: Discoloralis
Family: Erebidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Subfamily: Herminiinae (Litter Moths)
Discolored Renia - wingspan to 4.5 cm - High Park - August 2020