Moths of North Carolina
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6 NC Records

Sympistis perscripta (Guenée, 1852) - Scribbled Sallow

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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: OncocnemidinaeP3 Number: 931797.00 MONA Number: 10154.00 MONA Synonym: Lepipolys perscripta
Comments: One of 256 species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010). The vast majority of these species are associated with xeric habitats in the West (Troubridge, 2008) and only four species have been recorded in North Carolina.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954, as Oncocnemis perscripta)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1954); Wagner et al. (2011)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized, pale gray to grayish brown Noctuid with well-marked transverse lines and spots. The ground color is fairly uniform but the basal third may be somewhat darker. The antemedian and postmedian lines are both constrastingly black and sinuous or waved; the antemedian is often bordered anteriorly with a brownish shade. The orbicular, claviform, and reniform spots are all large and represented by fine black outlines that are filled with the ground color. A subterminal line composed of small spots may also be present. Hindwings are dirty-white (Forbes, 1954).
Wingspan: 30 mm (Forbes, 1954)
Adult Structural Features: Male and female reproductive structures are illustrated but not described by Troubridge (2008)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are strikingly patterned with yellow, black, and white. A series of large mid-dorsal yellow, white-ringed spots are bordered by black subdorsal bands, which are bordered below by wide spiracular stripes of yellow. The head and lateral stripes are spotted with black (Forbes, 1954; Wagner et al., 2011).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: All of our records come from the southern half of the Coastal Plain, including the Fall-line Sandhills
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

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