Protolampra brunneicollis (Grote)

Pogue, Michael G., 2006, The Noctuinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, U. S. A., Zootaxa 1215 (1), pp. 1-95 : 54-55

22. Protolampra brunneicollis (Grote) Brown­collared Dart

( Fig. 63, Map 40)

Identification: Forewing length 16.0–18.0 mm. Protolampra brunneicollis can be identified by the dark brown to reddish brown head and prothoracic collar and light brown, faintly marked forewings. Orbicular and reniform spots are the same as the ground color or slightly lighter, outlined in black. Transverse lines are indistinct, consisting at most of short wavy lines and small black dots. A conspicuous black triangular spot is present on costa between postmedial and subterminal lines. Hindwing is dirty white with slightly darker highlighted veins.

Flight period: Collected from late May to mid­October.

Collected localities: North Carolina: Haywood Co., Purchase Knob, Purchase Knob at house, Purchase Knob N of house forest, Purchase Knob NE of house field, Purchase Knob nr. 1 st gate; Swain Co., Big Cove Road site b, Big Cove Road site c, Big Cove Road site p, Big Cove Road site w, Deep Creek Ranger Station . Tennessee: Blount Co., Cades Cove Primitive Baptist Church; Cocke Co. , Foothills Parkway East, Foothills Parkway, Foothills Parkway south overlook, Foothills Parkway at I­40. (60 specimens)

MAP 40. Collecting localities of Protolampra brunneicollis .

Elevation range: 1330–4998 ft. (405–1523 m)

General distribution: This is a common species in eastern North America from New Brunswick to Alberta in southern Canada, and in the United States from Maine to North Carolina and Tennessee west to Mississippi, north to Minnesota, with scattered records in the West from North and South Dakota and Montana ( Lafontaine 1998) .

Larval hosts: Larvae have been reared on blueberry ( Vaccinium spp. , Ericaceae ), common dandelion ( Taraxacum officinale G. H. Weber ex Wiggers , Asteraceae ), and sweet­fern ( Myrica asplenifolia L., Myricaceae ) ( Crumb 1956). Lafontaine (1998) regarded this species as probably a general feeder.