Moths of North Carolina
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8 NC Records

Datana robusta Strecker, 1878 - Robust Datana

Datana robusta
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NotodontidaeSubfamily: PhalerinaeP3 Number: 930040 MONA Number: 7909.00
Comments: One of 16 species in this genus, all but one of which occurs in North America north of Mexico (Miller et al., 2018). Nine have been recorded in North Carolina.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Packard (1895)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium large Prominent. The ground color and pattern of the forewing is buff-yellow to clay color with a pattern of lines and spots similar to that of D. perspicua (Packard, 1895). The disk of the thorax is typically pale buff and is concolorous with the rest of the thorax, whereas it is usually a darker brown in perspicua. The hindwings are paler buff than the forewings and have a darker shade towards the outer margin, whereas they are usually uniformly colored in perspicua.
Wingspan: 48-50 mm (Packard, 1895)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: According Dyar (as described in Wright,1907), the larvae are very similar to those of D. perspicua, but the yellow lines are narrower and the intervening spaces wider and black rather than red, as is the usual case with perspicua.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Appears to be restricted in North Carolina to the southern half of the Outer 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: All of our records come from late July and early August but we have too few to determine any pattern
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Habitats where this species has been recorded in North Carolina include Xeric Sandhill Scrub, Wet Pine Flatwoods, and Calcareous Coastal Fringe Forest.
Larval Host Plants: Host plants are poorly documented. Heppner (2007) lists sumac, but this requires confirmation. - View
Observation Methods: Comes at least to some extent to blacklights
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Xeric-Mesic, Sandy Woodlands and Scrub
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: SR
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G2G4 S1S2
State Protection: Listed as Significantly Rare by the Natural Heritage Program. That designation, however, does not confer any legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This is a poorly known, rare to uncommon species throughout its range (NatureServe Explorer, 2016). In North Carolina, this species has been recorded only within Camp Lejeune, where it appears to be resident: it has been recorded in two different months and at three different locations. More needs to be learned about its host plants, habitat associations, and other details of its life history before its conservation needs can be identified.

 Photo Gallery for Datana robusta - Robust Datana

Photos: 1

Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan, and Steve Hall on 2022-07-24
Moore Co.
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