Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFLimacodidae Members: Monoleuca Members: 93 NC Records

Monoleuca semifascia (Walker, 1855) - Pin-striped Vermilion Slug Moth

Monoleuca semifasciaMonoleuca semifasciaMonoleuca semifasciaMonoleuca semifascia
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Zygaenoidea		 Family:
Limacodidae		P3 Number:
57a0092		 MONA Number:
4691.00		 Other Common Name:
Pin-striped Slug Moth
Comments: Monoleuca semifascia is one of two representatives of this genus that are currently recognized in North America. Both occur in the east, but only M. semifascia has been documented in North Carolina.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (2005)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner (2005)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This species is entirely warm brown or reddish brown, except for a silvery white to yellowish white, transverse, wavy line that runs from before the midpoint of the inner margin to the middle of the wing. The line varies in appearance from being relatively wide and obvious to being very thin or barely discernible.
Wingspan: 19-27 mm (BugGuide)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae feed on deciduous hardwoods, but the larval life history is poorly documented. The later instars are slug-like with a series of longitudinal stripes that vary from salmon or pink to bright red, with the latter being more common. The dorsal and lateral areas each have a set of three thin bluish-black stripes. The body has radiating clusters of 20 or more short, whitish, stinging spines that are grouped in four lines that run the length of the body, while the anterior end bears four dark conical projections of equal size (Wagner, 2005).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Monoleuca semifascia is primarily found in the southeastern US. The range extends from eastern Texas to Florida, and northward to southeastern Kansas, Missouri, southern Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia and northward along the Atlantic Coast to New York. We have records from all three physiographic provinces, but the majority are from the Coastal Plain, with a few records from the Piedmont and one from a lower elevation site in the Blue Ridge.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Monoleuca semifasciaAlamance 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)

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