Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Family (Alpha):
« Home »
View PDFNoctuidae Members: Choephora Members: 165 NC Records

Choephora fungorum Grote & Robinson, 1868 - Bent-line Dart


Choephora fungorumChoephora fungorum
view caption
Choephora fungorumChoephora fungorum
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea
Family:
Noctuidae
Subfamily:
Noctuinae
Tribe:
Noctuini
P3 Number:
933543
MONA Number:
10998.00
Comments: A monotypic genus from eastern North American which occurs across North Carolina.
Species Status: Specimens from North Carolina have been sequenced and fall within the variation seen throughout its range, no evidence of sibling species.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954, as Cerastes fungorum); Lafontaine (1998)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1954)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This species is unmistakable in color and pattern. It is a large, buff or fawn Noctuid, with single, fine, dark brown antemedian and postmedian lines. The regular spots are obsolete, but there is an irregular polygonal patch of dark brown located just inward from the middle of the costa.
Wingspan: 40 mm (Forbes, 1954)
Adult Structural Features: Both male and female genitalia are distinct, have peculiar characteristics and can be used to identify the species.
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Eggs hatch in the fall and the caterpillar completes development in the spring. It then pupates during the summer and emerges in the fall. Details of this transition seem to be lacking. One would guess that caterpillars are active on warm winter days but data are lacking. According to Forbes (1954), larvae are typical cutworms; brown, evenly vermiculate, and possess dark subdorsal patches.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Found throughout the state, from the Barrier Islands to the High Mountains
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Choephora fungorumAlamance 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.
Flight Comments: A sure sign of fall is the appearance of this species. It is single brooded.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Occurs in a variety of wooded and open habitats, including maritime dunes, Longleaf Pine woodlands, floodplain forests, lakeshores, Piedmont glades, and Mountain cove forests. We do not, however, have any records from Peatlands, a habitat type that contains few species of forbs.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are thought to feed on a wide variety of forbs. Robinson et al. (2010) report records (probably all from rearing) from dandelion, clover, and tobacco. BugGuide records (George Smiley) show larvae feeding on dock (Rumex) and Frost Aster (Symphyotrichum pilosum) in Texas. We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Observation Methods: Adults come readily to light but no information seems to exist as to whether they are attracted to bait or flowers. One might expect they would come to bait.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Forests and Fields
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S4S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: Widely distributed, feeding on a variety of host plants -- some common -- and occupying an extensive range of habitats, this species appears to be secure within the state.

 Photo Gallery for Choephora fungorum - Bent-line Dart

100 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-11-06
Durham Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Chuck Smith on 2024-11-01
Davidson Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: John Petranka on 2024-10-30
Orange Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-10-23
Madison Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Owen McConnell on 2024-10-21
Graham Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-10-13
Madison Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-10-06
Madison Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-11-10
Orange Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-11-09
Madison Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-11-09
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-11-07
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: David George, Becky Watkins on 2023-11-06
Durham Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-11-06
Edgecombe Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Andrew W. Jones on 2023-10-30
Davie Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2023-10-28
Durham Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-10-25
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-10-19
Orange Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-10-19
Orange Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2023-10-19
Wake Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: K. Bischof on 2023-10-18
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: John Petranka on 2023-10-10
Warren Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2022-11-09
Durham Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-11-06
Wake Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Vin Stanton on 2022-11-03
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Chuck Smith on 2022-10-30
Davidson Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: David George, Becky Watkins on 2022-10-30
Durham Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-10-30
Wake Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2022-10-27
Pender Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: John Petranka on 2022-10-25
Orange Co.
Comment:
Choephora fungorumRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-10-25
Madison Co.
Comment: