Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: 5 NC Records

Euxoa redimicula (Morrison, 1874) - Fillet Dart Moth


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: NoctuinaeTribe: NoctuiniP3 Number: 933440.00 MONA Number: 10851.00
Comments: One of 181 species that occur in North America north of Mexico (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010). Most are Western but 13 have been recorded in North Carolina. Redimicula to the Detersa Group of Subgenus Euxoa (Lafontaine, 1987); detersa is the only other member of this group that occurs here.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Lafontaine (1987)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized, bluish-gray Dart. The ground color is typically dull blue-gray, with a contrastingly black basal dash and with similarly dark marks before the orbicular and between the orbicular and reniform. The orbicular and reniform are large and filled with the pale ground color; the claviform is relatively small and pale filled, but with a blackish outline. The subterminal area is pale, contrasting with the darker terminal area. Hindwings are light fuscous in the males, with a darker gray marginal band, and darker fuscous in the females. Euxoa detersa shares the dark marginal band that contrasts with a pale subterminal band, but is usually paler, browner, and lacks the strong dark basal dash found in redimicula.
Wingspan: 33-35 mm (Forbes, 1954)
Forewing Length: 13-16 mm (Lafontaine, 1987)
Adult Structural Features: The ovipositor lobes in the females are distinctive, possessing two divergent, curved chitinous processes (Forbes, 1954)
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Immature stages have not been described (Lafontaine, 1987)
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Known in North Carolina only from the northern Mountains
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: Probably univoltine, with adults flying in the summer
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: All of our records come from sites above 4,000' in elevation, with the majority coming from a site where Bigtooth Aspen (Populus grandidentata) is present; the other comes from a wet pasture.
Larval Host Plants: Apparently unrecorded, but Lafontane (1987) noted that it occurs in the Great Plains region in association with groves of Aspen, Cottonwood, and Ponderosa Pine. Given that our own records come primarily from a site where Bigtooth Aspen is present, species of Aspen (or possibly other species of Poplars) seem possible as the host plants for this species.
Observation Methods: Comes to lights but to what extent is unknown
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: [W3]
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [S1S2]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This species is primarily Northern, with records from only two sites in North Carolina. However, the existence of multiple records at one site, and from multiple years, strongly suggests that at least one resident population occurs in the state. If Bigtooth Aspen -- listed as S2 in North Carolina -- turns out to be the host plant for this species, then the rarity of that species could easily explain the rarity of the moth. If that turns out to be the case, then we would recommend designating this species as Significantly Rare in North Carolina.