Moths of North Carolina
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12 NC Records

Lygropia rivulalis Hampson, 1898 - Bog Lygropia Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Pyraloidea Family: CrambidaeSubfamily: PyraustinaeTribe: SpilomeliniP3 Number: 801177.00 MONA Number: 5250.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This is a very distinctive species that has a dull white to pale yellowish-white ground color on both the forewing and hindwing. Both wings have a complex, reticulated pattern of dark brown to brownish-black lines that often anastomose to create either irregular or roughly oval patches of ground color. The subterminal region has a pair of transverse lines that run nearly parallel to one another, but diverge slightly towards the costa. The fringe is checkered with brown and dull white, and there is an interrupted dark line near the base that parallels a solid dark terminal line. The abdomen is mostly dull white with thin, dark-brown crossbands.
Wingspan: 17 mm (Beadle and Leckie, 2012).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larval life history is undocumented.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Lygropia rivulalis is found throughout much of the eastern and central U.S. and adjoining areas of southern Canada, including Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. In the U.S., the range extends from Maine southward to central Georgia, and westward to central Texas, central Oklahoma, eastern Kansas, central Nebraska, eastern South Dakota and eastern North Dakota. This species is uncommon or absent from most areas of the southeastern Coastal Plain. As of 2023, all of our records are from the Piedmont and lower-elevations in 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 from March through Novenber in different areas of the range, with the peak months being June through August. As of 2023, our records range from mid-May through early August. Local populations in North Carolina are univoltine and have a brief flight period of only a few weeks.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Local populations are associated with wetlands such as bogs, fens, marshes, and other standing-water wetlands, but the adults disperse from the sites and regularly appear at lights in residential neighborhoods.
Larval Host Plants: The hosts are apparently undocumented, but Solis (2008) noted that a specimen in the USNM collection was reared from ‘‘larva on grass’’ in Illinois. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to building and UV-lights.
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: We have relatively few records for this species that may reflect undercollecting due to its affiliation with wetlands. Additional information is needed on its host use, distribution and abundance before we can accurately assess its conservation status within the state.

 Photo Gallery for Lygropia rivulalis - Bog Lygropia Moth

Photos: 5

Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-06-25
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2020-08-02
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-06-30
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-06-23
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2016-08-04
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: