Sympistis major. Revised species status by Troubridge and Crabo (1999).<br>Sympistis riparia deserticola. This taxon was raised to species status by Troubridge (2008), mainly on the basis of significant (3.5 %) differences in the barcodes (COI mitochondrial DNA sequences) of deserticola as compared with other taxa in the riparia group. This conclusion, however, was based on a population in the Owens Valley. Populations in southwestern California near the type locality of deserticola have the same barcodes as those of S. major from Mono Lake, California and elsewhere in the Great Basin, so deserticola is relegated to the synonymy of S. major, syn. rev. It will require more research to determine if the Owens Valley population is a separate species or a genetically divergent population of S. major.
<ul>
      <li>Troubridge JT, Crabo LG (1998 (1999)) New Oncocnemis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) from the Pacific Northwest. Journal of the Entomological Society of British Columbia 95: 33-51.</li>
      <li>Troubridge JT (2008) A generic realignment of the Oncocnemidini sensu Hodges (1983) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Oncocnemidinae), with descriptions of a new genus and 50 new species. Zootaxa 1903: 1-95.</li>
  </ul>