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Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012) | Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD | Technical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954); Schweitzer et al. (2011) | |
| Adult Markings: A medium-large Papaipema. The ground color of the forewings is a bright sunflower yellow, with dark brown shading in the antemedian and subterminal areas, as well as forming the outlines of the spots. The lines are reddish brown, as is the terminal area except for the apex, which is the same yellow as in the median area. The spots are fairly diffuse and the lines are waved to strongly dentate in the case of the postmedian. The hindwings are a paler buff color with diffuse grayish-brown lines and shading towards the outer margin; the fringe is mainly grayish- or reddish-brown mixed with buff. |
| Wingspan: 50 mm (Forbes, 1954) |
| Adult Structural Features: The male valves, as illustrated by Forbes (1954), appear to be unique among our Papaipema in their possession of a corona and an elongated spine patch located on the dorsal edge of the sacculus; the ventral projection of the cucullus is also comparatively poorly developed. |
| Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens. |
| Immatures and Development: Although the life history has been described (Hessell, 1954; Schweitzer et al., 2011; Wagner et al., 2011), descriptions of the larvae appear to be lacking. Young larvae associated with Bottlbrush Grass (Elymus histrix) are likely to be this species but older larvae feed on host plants used by other species of Papaipema and need to be reared to determine the species. |
| Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood. |