Silphium Borer Moth
Papaipema silphii Bird

Status: State Endangered (August 1, 1989).

Occurence: Occurs in Columbia, Dane, Green, Jefferson, Kenosha, Walworth, and Waukesha counties of Wisconsin.

Aid to ID: Adults are medium-sized moths with wingspans of 38-50 mm. Forewings are dull brown and heavily frosted with broad white scales. The marginal third of the forewing beyond the postmedial line is pale grayish and the hindwings are dull brown. Adults may be confused with other brown/gray Papaipema moths. Young Papaipema larvae are dark with dorsal and sub-dorsal white lines. Older larvae are translucent with markings very faint or absent. Search for larvae in host plant stems or roots beginning in late July.

Habitat: Inhabits wet to wet-mesic prairie or sedge meadow supporting the host plant, prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum). Possibly cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) of wet wooded areas may also be used by moths.

Management Considerations: Sensitive to fire. Overwintering eggs are exposed and may be killed by controlled burns conducted in fall or early spring. Larvae are present on the plants throughout the summer until pupation. No information is available to indicate when larvae use the roots of the plants where they would be more protected from fire. Where fire is used, allow sufficient unburned areas of habitat from which recolonization can take place.

The content for this page was originally presented in the Endangered and Threatened Invertebrates of Wisconsin, a free publication available by contacting the Endangered Resources Program.