Moths of North Carolina

Scientific Name:	Common Name:		Family (Alpha): Choose a Family

Home

View PDF	Crambidae Members:	Palpita Members:	52 NC Records

Palpita freemanalis Munroe, 1952 - Freeman's Palpita

view caption

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Pyraloidea

Family:
Crambidae

Subfamily:
Pyraustinae

Tribe:
Spilomelini

P3 Number:
80a0986

MONA Number:
5225.00

Species Status: Described by Munroe (1952); the holotype is from Brownsville, Texas.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:

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

Technical Description, Adults: Munroe (1952)

Adult Markings: This species has two distinct forms that appear to be seasonal morphs. In the winter form, the ground color is gray and the dark markings are fuscous, while in the summer form, the ground color is white and the dark markings are bright orange or light brown. Intermediate specimens sometimes occur in which the ground color is white but the markings are brown or fuscous (Munroe, 1952). The following descriptions are based mostly on those of Munroe (1952).

In the gray (winter) form, the labial palp is fuscous above and light gray below, and is relatively short. The frons is fuscous in the middle and light gray on the sides, and the antenna and vertex are gray. The thorax and abdomen are gray with black patches. The legs are pale gray and the fore tibia has black basal and distal rings. All of the tarsi are ringed with fuscous. The apex of the forewing is rather blunt. The forewing has a silvery gray ground color that is heavily irrorated with black or dark brown except at the cell. An oblique brown shade is often present beyond the end of the cell. The reniform and orbicular spots are black, and there is an irregular fuscous patch behind and contiguous with the reniform spot. The hindwing is pale gray, with the distal third heavily speckled with fuscous. The discocellular line is narrow and light fuscous. Both the forewings and hindwings have a narrow, fuscous, marginal line, while the fringes are pale gray with a dark gray, checkered, median line. The orange summer form has similar markings, but the pale areas are creamy white and the dark markings are orange or light brown. According to Munroe (1952), there are no obvious sexual differences in maculation.

The dark, winter form of P. freemanalis can be confused with P. magniferalis, but the latter has more pronounced dark blotching on the forewing, including a blotch near the wing base. The irregular fuscous patch behind and contiguous with the reniform spot is about the same size as the reniform spot in P. freemanalis, but much larger than the reniform spot in P. magniferalis and often extends to the inner margin. Size differences are also helpful, with the forewing length of North Carolina specimens being 9-10 mm for P. freemanalis versus 12-13 mm for P. magniferalis. The winter form of P. freemanalis also closely resembles P. arsaltealis and the two species are best separated by size, with P. arsaltealis having a forewing length of around 12 mm (Munroe, 1952).

Wingspan: 22 mm (MPG)

Forewing Length: 9-10 mm (Munroe, 1952).

Structural photos

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].

Immatures and Development: The larval life history is undocumented.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: The range of Palpita freemanalis is centered on the southeastern U.S. and extends from Pennsylvania westward through Ohio and Indiana to eastern Oklahoma, and southward to central Texas, the Gulf Coast states, the Florida Panhandle and Georgia. As of 2023, most of our records are from the Piedmont, with a few scattered records from the Blue Ridge and northern Coastal Plain.

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 found from February through December in different areas of the range, with northern populations typically flying from May to September. As of 2023, our records range from mid-March through late-October.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Our records come from residential neighborhoods and from both mesic and dry natural habitats.

Larval Host Plants: The larval host plants are undocumented, but presumably are one or more members of the Oleaceae. - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.

Wikipedia

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S3S4

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

Comments:

Photo Gallery for Palpita freemanalis - Freeman's Palpita

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

	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Mark Basinger on 2025-05-18 Madison Co. Comment: Dissected.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-03-29 Madison Co. Comment: The winter form of this species; id based on genitalia (see companion photo).
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-03-29 Madison Co. Comment: Male genitalia of winter form.		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-09-07 Alamance Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-24 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George on 2024-07-15 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-26 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin on 2024-06-22 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2024-04-21 Cabarrus Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2024-04-20 Cabarrus Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-02-25 Madison Co. Comment: Identification based on genitalia.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-02-25 Madison Co. Comment: Identification based on genitalia.
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-09-04 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-08-25 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-08-18 Caswell Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-21 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-06 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-10 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-04-11 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-08-24 Clay Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2022-08-16 Cabarrus Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-07-18 Chowan Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-07-17 Wake Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-07-12 Guilford Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-06-02 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George on 2021-08-31 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George and L.M. Carlson on 2021-08-27 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2021-08-09 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-08-04 Wake Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2021-07-16 Wake Co. Comment: