Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members:
Egira Members:
387 NC Records

Egira alternans (Walker, [1857]) - Alternate Woodling Moth


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: NoctuinaeTribe: OrthosiiniP3 Number: 932799.00 MONA Number: 10517.00
Comments: A genus of some 23 species, most are North American but others come from Japan, South Africa, Turkey and the type from Europe. It is almost certainly a polyphyletic genus and in need of revision. We have but a single species in North Carolina and it does not seem particularly close to the European type species.
Species Status: Specimens from North Carolina have been examined and are homogeneous; there is no evidence for sibling species in Eastern North America.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954), as Xylomiges alternansTechnical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner et al. (2011)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Pattern fairly distinct but could be confused with Psaphida rolandi. In Egira look for the alternate light and dark rings on the abdomen, there is often a reddish flush overlaying the forewing pattern, and it is in flight slightly later than Psaphida. In the heath habitats of the Coastal Plain it is often the most common spring noctuid whereas Psaphida species are quite uncommon. Sexes are similar.
Adult Structural Features: Both male and female genitalia are complex and unlikely to be confused with any species superficially resembling this species.
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The brownish caterpillar has an orange head and a broad white to pinkish-brown spiracular stripe extending the length of the body, but that is also true for caterpillars of Orthosia revicta and no good characters for separating these two species have been found (Wagner, 2005). Apparently the European species hibernates before pupating but that has not been reported for our species.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Found in wooded habitats from the coastal islands to the higher altitudes in the western part of the state.
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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