Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Leucania Members: 78 NC Records

Leucania ursula (Forbes, 1936) - Ursula Wainscot


Leucania ursulaLeucania ursulaLeucania ursulaLeucania ursula
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea
Family:
Noctuidae
Subfamily:
Noctuinae
Tribe:
Leucaniini
P3 Number:
932965
MONA Number:
10461.00
Comments: One of 30 species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010; Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2015), 16 of which have been recorded in North Carolina. Previously included in Subfamily Hadeninae but moved to the much expanded Noctuinae by Lafontaine and Schmidt. They also included it in Tribe Leucaniini along with Mythimna. Additionally, Forbes (1936) grouped ursula with L. inermis, pseudargyria, calidior -- all found in North Carolina -- and the Floridian pilipalpis in the Pseudargyria Complex.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-large Wainscot. The forewings are a pale luteous, with darker gray areas located between the orbicular and reniform, before the orbicular, and in a triangular area located in the lower half of the wing apex. Both the orbicular and reniform spots are paler cream, with a darker spot in lower half of the reniform. The antemedian line is fairly inconspicuous but the postmedian is somewhat more strongly defined, following a strongly dentate course and sometimes appearing to form a double line, with dark points on the veins alternating with somewhat weaker crescents located more medially in the interspaces. Hindwings are dark fuscous. Other members of the Pseudargyria Complex have a similar pattern, but differ somewhat in ground color and size of the dark spot in the reniform. The structural characters described below -- particularly the male genitalia -- provide a more certain way to identify these species.
Wingspan: 30 mm but with some spring brood specimens reaching 40 mm (Forbes, 1936)
Adult Structural Features: The palpi are pale luteous on both the outer and inner sides but can be slightly darker gray on the upper surfaces (Forbes, 1936). The palpi in other members of this group are either all dark in pseudargyria, a mixture of luteous and gray in inermis, or have dark inner surfaces and pale outer surfaces in calidior. As in pseudargyria and calidior, males possess large tufts of hair on the foreleg tibiae. In specimens we have examined, these tufts are pale luteous, rather than the silver color of calidior or the much darker gray-brown of pseudargyria. Male genitaila are distinctive, with the shape of the uncus and the clasper differing from other members of this complex and the aedeagus possessing only rudimentary small spines in the vesica (see description and illustrations provided by Forbes, 1936).
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Leucania ursulaAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Larval Host Plants: Larvae reportedly feed on sedges (Wagner et al., 2011). - View
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S3S4]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Leucania ursula - Ursula Wainscot

32 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Leucania ursulaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-03
Madison Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-12
Madison Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2023-08-17
Watauga Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2023-08-17
Watauga Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2023-08-17
Watauga Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-29
Swain Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-08-15
Avery Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2022-08-09
Yancey Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: Darryl Willis on 2021-05-23
Cabarrus Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: tom ward on 2021-05-22
Buncombe Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: tom ward on 2021-05-22
Buncombe Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-09-10
Madison Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-09-10
Madison Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-09-10
Madison Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-09-26
Madison Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-09-26
Madison Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: David L. Heavner on 2019-08-20
Buncombe Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: David L. Heavner on 2019-08-20
Buncombe Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: David L. Heavner on 2019-08-12
Buncombe Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-05-11
Madison Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-05-11
Madison Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-05-11
Madison Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-09-06
Madison Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-09-04
Madison Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-09-04
Madison Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-09-04
Madison Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: David L. Heavner on 2018-08-25
Buncombe Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-07-09
Madison Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2016-08-02
Ashe Co.
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Leucania ursulaRecorded by: T. DeSantis on 2014-05-27
Durham Co.
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