Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Abagrotis Members: 27 NC Records

Abagrotis anchocelioides (Guenée, 1852) - Blueberry Budworm Moth


Abagrotis anchocelioidesAbagrotis anchocelioidesAbagrotis anchocelioides
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea
Family:
Noctuidae
Subfamily:
Noctuinae
Tribe:
Noctuini
P3 Number:
933688
MONA Number:
11045.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized, dull reddish-brown dart. The head, thorax, and ground color of the forewings are all reddish-fuscous with an iridescent crimson sheen in some lights (Forbes, 1954). The antemedial and postmedial lines are double, with the postmedial line followed by a series of pale points. The subterminal line is continuous and somewhat waved, and often meets a small blackish blotch where it strikes the costa. It is followed by a pale, but not strongly contrasting, terminal area. The orbicular and reniform are dark brown and surrounded by a contrasting luteous outline; their maximum width generally tends to be smaller than the space that separates them.

Abagrotis alternata is similar, but tends to have larger spots, along with an orbicular spot that is more elongated than that of the relatively rounded orbicular spot of A. anchocelioides. The subterminal line is interrupted on the veins or consists of separated dots, and the dark blotch where it meets the costa is absent. There is often a strong outward bulge about 1/4 below the apex in alternata, but is rarely present in anchocelioides or is much less prominent (J.B. Sullivan, pers. obs.). According to Lafontaine (1998), the second segment of the labial palpus is unicolorous reddish-brown, whereas in A. alternata, the apex is yellow-buff, contrasting with the reddish-brown sides.
Wingspan: 37 mm (Forbes, 1954)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Nearly all of our records come from lower elevations in the Blue Ridge.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Abagrotis anchocelioidesAlamance 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. anchocelioides is basically a June-July species and alternata is uncommon at that time but abundant in the fall (J.B. Sullivan, pers. obs.)
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Larval Host Plants: Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) is listed by the HOSTS database (Robinson et al., 2010), but this host requires confirmation. - View
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: [W-PK]
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G4 SNR [S2S3]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
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 Photo Gallery for Abagrotis anchocelioides - Blueberry Budworm Moth

Photos: 13
Abagrotis anchocelioidesRecorded by: Darryl Willis on 2022-10-31
Cabarrus Co.
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Abagrotis anchocelioidesRecorded by: Owen McConnell on 2022-10-21
Graham Co.
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Abagrotis anchocelioidesRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-08-14
Madison Co.
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Abagrotis anchocelioidesRecorded by: Richard Teper on 2022-06-26
Avery Co.
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Abagrotis anchocelioidesRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-10-06
Madison Co.
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Abagrotis anchocelioidesRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-10-05
Madison Co.
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Abagrotis anchocelioidesRecorded by: Stephen Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2021-09-13
Ashe Co.
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Abagrotis anchocelioidesRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-09-06
Madison Co.
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Abagrotis anchocelioidesRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-09-24
Madison Co.
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Abagrotis anchocelioidesRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-09-24
Madison Co.
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Abagrotis anchocelioidesRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-09-13
Madison Co.
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Abagrotis anchocelioidesRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-09-13
Madison Co.
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Abagrotis anchocelioidesRecorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2014-09-25
Ashe Co.
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