Macromoths of Northwest Forests and Woodlands
Xestia mustelina [Noctuidae]
Wingspan 3.6 cm. Forewing is pink-gray with very large gray discal spots outlined in black. This noctuid is common and widely distributed in wet conifer forests in the Pacific West and in the northern Rocky Mountains. Moths fly in late summer. Caterpillars feed on the foliage of species of Pinaceae, in particular Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) and flowering trees and shrubs such as madrone (Arbutus menziesii), myrica (Myrica), and huckleberry (Vaccinium).
Similar species: Anaplectoides pressus forewing is pale gray-green with small discal spots.
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