Moths of North Carolina
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4 NC Records

Hadena ectypa (Morrison, 1875) - Campion Coronet

Hadena ectypa
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: NoctuinaeTribe: HadeniniP3 Number: 932913 MONA Number: 10316.00
Comments: One of fifteen species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010), only two of which have been recorded in North Carolina.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954); Pogue (2009); Schweitzer et al. (2011)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1954); Kephart et al. (2009); Schweitzer et al. (2011); Wagner et al. (2011)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized Noctuine. Forewings are dark, purplish brown with a large blackish claviform spot and dark shading between the reniform and postmedian and at the anal angle before the subterminal. The orbicular and reniform are pale, as is the subterminal line, which is less zig-zagging than in other Hadenines (Forbes, 1954). The hindwings are dark brown. Forbes noted that Polia goodelli is similar in size and pattern and both Pogue (2009) and Schweitzer et al. (2011) noted the same for Orthodes detracta -- all three species possess a conspicuous dark claviform -- but the other two species lack the contrastingly pale, relatively even subterminal line characteristic of ectypa.
Wingspan: 34 mm (Forbes, 1954)
Adult Structural Features: Male genitalia are distinctive (see Forbes, 1954, for a description)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are yellowish brown with darker oblique lateral stripes (see Wagner et al., 2011, for an extensive description and illustrations). Larvae feed on the flowers and seed pods of their host plants. The pupal period is extensive, covering most of the year and probably taking place below ground (Schweitzer et al., 2011).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Records in North Carolina come from three ranges of high mountains: the Nantahala Mountains and Great Smoky Mountains in the south and Bluff Mountain in the north.
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)

Click on graph to enlarge
Flight Comments: Our records come mainly from May and July but a recent record comes from September.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Habitats at the two sites where Hadena ectypa has been collected in North Carolina are unclear but appear to be Montane Alluvial Forest (now converted to development) in one case, and old field habitats in the other.
Larval Host Plants: Stenophagous, feeding on species of Silene, including the native Starry Campion (Silene stellata) and Fire Pink (Silene virginica) (Kephart et al., 2005) as well as the introduced Bladder Campion (Silene vulgaris) (Wagner et al., 2011). Adults also nectar on Silene and appear to be important pollinators of these plants (Kephart et al. 2005). - View
Observation Methods: Comes at least somewhat to blacklights but may be undersampled by this method (Schweitzer et al., 2011); sampling for larvae indicates that it may be more common, at least in some areas, than indicated by adult collections. Adults come to flowers, including Silene species, but we do not know of any records from bait.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: SR
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G3G4 S1S2
State Protection: Listed as Significantly Rare by the Natural Heritage Program. That designation, however, does not confer any legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: Ectypa has long been considered uncommon to rare (Forbes, 1954; Schweitzer et al., 2011), perhaps most especially in the extreme southern extension of its range into the mountains of North Carolina and Georgia; currently we have just four records for North Carolina. The reasons for this rarity, however, are unclear, given that its host plants are fairly widespread and it may, in fact, be expanding its distribution by adapting to introduced species of Silene (Schweitzer et al., 2011). Overbrowsing of its host plants by deer appears to be at least one appreciable threat to its populations (Schweitzer et al., 2011), but larval surveys may be needed to resolve its true distribution and conservation status.

 Photo Gallery for Hadena ectypa - Campion Coronet

Photos: 1

Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-31
Macon Co.
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