Moths of North Carolina
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Pyrausta Members:
23 NC Records

Pyrausta subsequalis (Guenée, 1854) - Mottled Pyrausta

Pyrausta subsequalisPyrausta subsequalisPyrausta subsequalis
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Pyraloidea Family: CrambidaeSubfamily: PyraustinaeTribe: PyraustiniP3 Number: 80a0828 MONA Number: 5060.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Munroe (1976)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This wide-ranging species exhibits substantial individually, seasonally, sexually and geographic variation. Munroe (1976) recognized four subspecies, with Pyrausta s. subsequalis occurring in the eastern U.S. The following description in based on those of Forbes (1923) and Monroe (1976) for the eastern subspecies. Female and males are sexually dimorphic with regards to coloration and clarity of patterning. For females, the forewing ground color ranges from ocherous-yellow to dull- orange. The antemedial line is wavy, while the postmedial line is sinuous. The orbicular and reniform spots are black and conspicuous, and the median area of the wing is often suffused with black. The subterminal region has a broad dark shade that either narrows or is interrupted in the middle. It is followed by a band of ground color and a thin terminal line at the base of the black fringe. The hindwing is bright orange, with a large black discal dot. There are two outer black bands that parallel the outer margin, and the fringe is black. In males, the forewing ground color is brown and often scaled with dull red. The hindwing is black, with short postmedial and terminal orange lines only. For both sexes, the most useful field traits are the conspicuous black orbicular and reniform spots, the broad, dark subterminal shade that either narrows or is interrupted in the middle, and the banded hindwings.
Forewing Length: 6-9 mm (Munroe, 1976)
Adult Structural Features: Munroe (1976) has descriptions of the male and female genitalia.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Pyrausta subsequalis is a very wide-ranging species that occurs in Alaska and the Yukon Territory, across most of southern Canada from British Columbia to Nova Scotia, and in most of the U.S. from Maine westward to Washington and Oregon, and southward to Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico and southern California. This species occurs statewide in North Carolina, with most of our records from the Piedmont.
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 fly year-round in southern localities such as California and Louisiana, and mostly from April through September at more northern latitudes. As of 2023, our records range from early-May through late-September.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Larval Host Plants: The host plants are poorly documented, but include members of three families of flowering plants (Heppner, 2007; Robinson et al., 2010; Beadle and Leckie, 2018). The reported hosts include thistles (Cirsium; Carduus spp.), including Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare), a mint (Mentha sp.) and Black Cherry (Prunus serotina). - View
Observation Methods: The adults are commonly seen in the open during the day either resting on vegetation or nectaring on low-growing plants. They also occasionally attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks:
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Pyrausta subsequalis - Mottled Pyrausta

Photos: 9

Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-09-14
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Chuck Smith on 2024-09-08
Davidson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Andrew W. Jones on 2024-03-05
Polk Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Andrew W. Jones on 2023-08-22
Polk Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Andrew W. Jones on 2023-08-22
Polk Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Salman Abdulali on 2018-06-15
Pitt Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Robert Gilson on 2017-09-30
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Rob Van Epps on 2017-08-12
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Paul Scharf on 2011-09-21
Warren Co.
Comment: Confirmed via specimen by Bo Sullivan