Moth Photographers Group – Sympistis fifia

Digital Guide to Moth Identification

Noctuidae

931822 – 10066 Sympistis fifia (Dyar, 1904)

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Distribution:	CNC records from Canada: BC; USA: WA, OR, CA, NV, UT, CO, MT - 11/21/2018
Larva and Host Plants:	Host familiy: Caprifoliaceae. Host genera: Symphoricarpos. Host extended: specialist on Symphoricarpos (Crabo et al 2014)... (Kimberley & Douglas 2025)
Similar Species:	931821 Sympistis badistriga: white prothoracic collar compared to the almost black thorax; streakier wings; wider streaks from the wing base and in the cell from the orbicular spot to the subterminal area; whiter hind wings in both males and females - Don Lafontaine (pers. comm. 11/21/2018). 931821.1 Sympistis tenuistriga: separated from badistriga by differences in the ♂ vesica (everted), ♀ bursa and DNA barcode - Don Lafontaine (pers. comm. 6/6/2017); paler brown prothoracic collar than the color of the thorax with some white tips to the scales in some and the thorax is mainly brown with black adjacent to the collar and on the sides. The forewing is a more even brown or gray with less streaking on the ground color and the black streaks are thinner - Don Lafontaine (pers. comm. 11/21/2018). 931822 Sympistis fifia: overall more blotchy look with a mostly gray collar and thorax, gray wings, sometimes tinged with brown frequently with dark shading in the lower part of the medial area, which is more constricted than the other two species; fine black streaks in the subterminal; basal and subapical streaks are less sharply defined than the other species; the hind wing is darker sex for sex that either badistriga or tenuistriga - Don Lafontaine (pers. comm. 11/21/2018). 931820 Sympistis rayata: records from Texas only; superficially identical to badistriga but speperable by DNA barcode - Don Lafontaine (pers. comm. 11/26/2018). Pinned specimens of related species. (Hint: select View by Region on the related species page.)
Synonymy:	fifia (Dyar, 1904) (Homohadena) - MONA 1983: 10066
Taxonomic Notes:	Sympistis fifia: Formerly placed in the genus Homohadena.

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.
Powell, J. A. & P. A. Opler, 2009. Moths of Western North America, Pl. 51.19f; p. 285. 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 Pacific Northwest Moths
Species Page at iNaturalist

DNA - © Jim Moore

33mm – © Canadian National Collection

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

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