Moths of North Carolina
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63 NC Records

Patania silicalis (Guenée, 1854) - Herbivorous Patania Moth


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Pyraloidea Family: CrambidaeSubfamily: PyraustinaeTribe: SpilomeliniP3 Number: 801188.00 MONA Number: 5243.00 MONA Synonym: Pleuroptya silicalis
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: In this species the head, thorax, abdomen and ground color of the wings are all concolorous and vary from brown to brownish-yellow. The markings on the forewing are dark brown and somewhat diffuse, and include a slightly irregular antemedial line and a crescent-shaped or curved reniform. The postmedial has a curved portion that projects from the costa and meets the remainder of the line that has a stepped pattern, with a toothed portion that runs parallel to the termen, a connecting line that runs parallel to the inner margin, and a final portion that runs parallel to the termen to the inner margin near the middle of the wing. The hindwing is similar, but lacks the antemedial line and reniform spot. The fringe on both wings is concolorous with the adjoining ground on the wings and abuts a very narrow dark marginal line.

Patania silicalis shares many similarities with Herpetogramma theseusalis and H. centrostrigalis, but the latter two species have a dark orbicular spot just posterior to the antemedial line (often faded on worn specimens) that is missing on P. silicalis. The postmedial line between the costa and the stepped portion of the line that begins at M2 is curved inward in P. silicalis versus more or less straight in H. theseusalis. The dark shading along the lines, particularly in the median area, also may help to distinguish P. silicalis. Finally, the reniform tends to be crescent-shaped in P. silicalis versus more oblong in certain Herpetogramma species.
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae are leaf rollers that roll the leaves of the host plants lengthwise and consume portions of the entire leaf. False Nettle appears to be the most widely used host in the eastern U.S. The leaf rolls typically have substantial amounts of blackish frass, and pupation occurs within the leaf roll. The older instars have a light, translucent bluish-green body and a dull yellow head with finely mottled black pigmentation along the sides and back. The prothoracic shield may or may not have similar dark pigmentation along the sides depending on the stage.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Patania silicalis is found from Brazil northward through Central America and the West Indies to eastern North America. In eastern North America, it has been observed from Maine westward through Ontario, Quebec and the Great Lakes region, to Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri. The range extends as far south as south-central Texas, the Gulf Coast states, southern Florida and Georgia. This species occurs statewide in North Carolina.
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)

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