Moths of North Carolina
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26 NC Records

Pyrausta orphisalis Walker, 1859 - Orange Mint Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Pyraloidea Family: CrambidaeSubfamily: PyraustinaeTribe: PyraustiniP3 Number: 801538.00 MONA Number: 5058.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Munroe (1976)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Allyson (1981)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This is a distinctive species with the forewing consisting of a dark crimson ground color that is overlaid with golden-yellow patches. The most prominent golden-yellow marks include the basal third of the wing, a small spot in the subcostal area near the middle, and a large subapical patch. A few small, diffuse spots are often present between the subapical patch and the inner margin. The antemedial line is missing and the postmedial line cuts through the subapical patch near the costa. The hindwing is brown with a prominent median yellow band. The fringe on both wings is brown.
Adult Structural Features: Munroe (1976) has descriptions of the male and female genitalia.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae feed on several genera of plants in the mint family, but details of the life history are undocumented. The last-instar larvae are 16-18 mm in length, and the body is pale with a relatively narrow, dark gray mid-dorsal stripe. A wider subdorsal stripe is present on either side. The subdorsal pinacula are darker than the other pinacula, and the head is pale with scattered brown spots. The prothoracic and anal shields have the same color as the body. The prothoracic shield has dark spots on the ventral margin, while the latter has a few dark spots along the anterior margin (Allyson, 1981).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Pyrausta orphisalis is found throughout much of southern Canada from the Yukon Territory and British Columbia eastward to Nova Scotia. In the U.S., the range includes California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, as well as the much of the eastern U.S. from Minnesota eastward across the Great Lakes region to Maine, and southward to Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, northern Florida, and North Carolina. As of 2023, all of our records are from the Blue Ridge.
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: The adults have been observed during every month of the year, with a peak in seasonal activity from June through September. As of 2023, our records are from early-March through mid-September, with almost all from mid-June through mid-September.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Local populations are commonly found associated with openings in forested settings such as secondary roadways, wildlife plots, powerline corridors, meadows, and residential neighborhoods and gardens that support the host plants.
Larval Host Plants: The larvae feed on members of the Lamiaceae (Munroe, 1976; Godfrey et al., 1987; Scholtens, 1996; Heppner, 2007; Robinson et al., 2010; Beadle and Leckie, 2012). The reported hosts include Yellow Giant-hyssop (Agastache nepetoides), Hairy Woodmint (Blephilia hirsuta), Peppermint (Mentha x piperita), a Monarda sp., Wild Bergamot (M. fistulosa), Summer Savory (Satureia hortensis) and American Germander (Teucrium canadense). - View
Observation Methods: The adults are commonly seen resting on vegetation or nectaring in the open during the day. They occasionally can be seen drinking water from puddles or seeps. The adults are mostly diurnally active, but will come to lights at night.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [S3-S4]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This species can be locally common in the Blue Ridge.

 Photo Gallery for Pyrausta orphisalis - Orange Mint Moth

Photos: 13

Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-04-02
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-06
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Michael Wall on 2023-04-20
Jackson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Morgan Freese on 2023-03-09
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-06-16
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-06-26
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-09-01
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-08-10
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-08-07
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-06-30
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-06-17
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-07-21
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-06-14
Madison Co.
Comment: