Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Crambidae Members:	Uresiphita Members:	98 NC Records

Uresiphita reversalis (Guenée, 1854) - Genista Broom Moth

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Pyraloidea

Family:
Crambidae

Subfamily:
Pyraustinae

Tribe:
Pyraustini

P3 Number:
80a0759

MONA Number:
4992.00

Other Common Name:
Sophora Worm

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Technical Description, Adults: Munroe (1976)

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Alleyson (1981)

Adult Markings: In this species, the head, thorax and ground of the forewing are concolorous and vary from tannish-brown to dark reddish-brown. The antemedial line, postmedial line, orbicular and reniform spots are dark brown to reddish-brown and sometimes obscure on dark individuals. The postmedial line is bowed outward on the costal half of the wing and usually broken into a series of dots. The hindwing is yellow except for a zone of fuscous scales at the apex. The abdomen is also yellow and contrasts sharply with the brownish thorax and head.

This species resembles Oenobotys vinotinctalis, but the latter has a prominent dark-brown spot on each foreleg and a brownish abdomen and hindwing. It also resembles Herpetogramma phaeopteralis that is similar to O. vinotinctalis, but lacks the prominent spot on the forelegs.

Wingspan: 30 mm (Forbes, 1923).

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.

Immatures and Development: Bernays and Montllor (1989) conducted a detailed life history study in California around San Francisco where the larvae fed on French Broom (Genista monspessulana) and there were 4-5 generations per year. The females lay masses of 23-70 eggs on the undersides of leaves that are just below the tips of branches. The hatchlings produced copious amounts of silk and bound together individual leaves that had been fed upon and were shriveling and curling. These served as a communal shelter that commonly held 15-20 larvae, with feeding occurring outside of the shelters.

The second instar larvae dispersed into smaller groups and bound together several leaves to make shelters. By the third instar the shelters were abandoned and the larvae fed thereafter in smaller groups inside a very loose web of silk threads across branchlets. After exploiting most of the local food resources, the larvae moved to nearby branches and spun new webbing. The larvae typically feed in the open during the day, and contain alkaloids from lupines and other host plants that are toxic or distasteful to birds and mammals. The bright coloration of the older instars appears to serve as aposematic (warning) coloration to certain predators. Nonetheless, spiders, hemipterans and vespid wasps all fed on the larvae. Ants strongly avoided the larvae and wasps found them to be less palatable relative to other caterpillars that were used in choice experiments.

The late-instar larvae are 25-30 mm long and vary from yellowish to orangish-green. They have prominent pinacula that are convex, large and black (Allyson, 1981), and that are bordered on each side with smaller white spots. The head capsule is black and the prothoracic shield has black pigmentation around the setae. The setae are well-developed, with many being longer than the width of the body.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Uresiphita reversalis is widely distributed across much of the U.S.; it also occurs in Ontario and Mexico. In the U.S., it has been observed in every state in the conterminous U.S. except Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska. This species occurs statewide in North Carolina wherever the host plants are present locally.

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
Immature 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: The adults fly year-round in Florida, Texas and California, and mostly from March through October at more northern locales. Populations in warmer regions can produce four or five generations per year (Bernays and Montllor, 1989). As of 2023, our records extend from mid-May through late October. Populations in North Carolina appear to have two or more overlapping generation per year.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Populations are generally found locally where lupines and wild indigo are present. The habitats include xeric to mesic sites in the Coastal Plain, residential neighborhoods where the hosts are increasingly planted as ornamentals, and open woods and slopes.

Larval Host Plants: The larvae feed on legumes, and usually ones that contain toxins such as alkaloids (Allyson, 1981; Bernays and Montllor, 1989; Heppner, 2007; Robinson et al, 2010). Legumes that are used in eastern North America include False Indigo-bush (Amorpha fruticosa), White Wild Indigo (Baptisia alba), Tall Blue Wild Indigo (B. australis), Yellow Wild Indigo (B. tinctoria), Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius), Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos), and Blue Sandhill Lupine (Lupinus diffusus). In the western United States broom (Genista spp.) and Necklace Pod (Sophora tomentosa) are commonly used. Heppner (2007) listed Common Saltwort (Salsola kali) and Forbes (1923) reported honeysuckle (Lonicera sp.) as hosts, but these need to be verified with additional observations. The known hosts in North Carolina are all legumes and include Amorpha fruticosa, Baptisia alba, B. australis, B. tinctoria, and Lupinus diffusus. Larvae are frequently recorded by the public defoliating Amorpha, Baptisia, and other ornamentals planted in their yards, and are considered by some to be a pest. - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights and the boldly marked larvae are commonly seen feeding in the open during the day.

Wikipedia

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [S5]

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.

Comments: This is a widespread and common species in North Carolina that appears to be secure, especially given its willingness to feed on ornamental plantings in suburban and urban settings.

Photo Gallery for Uresiphita reversalis - Genista Broom Moth

65 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

	Recorded by: David George, Jim George on 2025-09-07 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jim George on 2025-09-07 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-06-11 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-10-01 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-09-19 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-09-19 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-08-20 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-08-20 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-07-30 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-09-03 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George on 2023-08-08 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2023-08-03 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-07-06 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-07-04 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George on 2022-09-28 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2022-09-26 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2022-08-20 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2022-08-17 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-08-03 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-07-30 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Becky Watkins on 2022-07-24 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-07-14 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2022-06-27 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George on 2022-06-12 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Becky Watkins on 2022-06-11 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2021-10-22 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2021-10-08 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2021-10-03 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2021-10-03 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2021-10-02 Orange Co. Comment: