Hooked on hooktips...

In Ontario we have four very different hooktip species. The hooktips belong in the family drepanidae. They are superficially similar to the geometrid moths but are generally stouter-bodied and some actually do have strongly hooked tips to the forwings.


This is Oreta rosea or the Rose Hooktip. It is probably my favourite hooktip and is certainly the most colourful species that occurs in Ontario. It is fairly common throughout the summer months and the larvae feed on birches and viburnums. The adults are quite variable. This example is typical though some are mostly reddish-brown.


This is Deprana arcuata or the Arched Hooktip. It is the most common hooktip in Ontario and often features in my catches in mid summer, sometimes in good numbers. I like this one because of the extreme hooked tips to the forewings and the subtle pattern. The larvae feed on alders and birches.


This one is Deprana bilineata or the Two-lined Hooktip. This distinctive species has a smaller hook than the preceeding pair and has a wavy edge to the forewing. It is less common the the above species in my experience though can be locally numerous. The larvae feed on alders, birches and elms. Note the distinctive resting posture, very different from the "flatness" of the other three hooktips.


Finally we have Eudeilinea herminiata or the Northern Eudeilinea. This is the least "hooktip-like" of the bunch and could easily be mistaken for one of the various white geometrid moths. The larvae feed on dogwoods. For some reason I've rarely encountered this species though it may be locally common.

So there you have it, a fascinating bunch of distinctive-looking moths. Who said moths are boring...