Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFErebidae Members: Virbia Members: 7 NC Records

Virbia ferruginosa (Walker, 1854) - Rusty Virbia

No image for this species.
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Arctiinae		Tribe:
Arctiini		P3 Number:
930336.65		 MONA Number:
8123.00		 MONA Synonym:
Holomelina ferruginosa		Other Common Name:
Rusty Holomelina Moth
Comments: One of fourteen species in North America, five of which occur in North Carolina
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984; as Holomelina ferruginosa); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Zaspel et al. (2008)Technical Description, Immature Stages: None                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Virbia ferruginosa is one of several small brownish- or yellowish-orange Virbias, all of which may be difficult to distinguish, particularly based on photographs alone, especially shots showing just the forewings. Ferruginosa is particularly similar to aurantiaca, but it larger and usually has the dark band on the hindwing broken into a series of spots; in aurantiaca, this bar is usually more solid (Zaspel et al., 2008). Females may have white spots on the forewing. Dissection offers the most reliable way of identification, at least for males (see Forbes, 1960; and Zaspel et al., 2008 for illustrations and descriptions).
Forewing Length: 13.4 mm, males; 15 mm, females (Zaspel et al., 2008)
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Immatures and Development: Larval descriptions appear to be unavailable.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Virbia ferruginosaAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Flight Comments: Brimley (1938) had records from May and August in the Piedmont and from May in the Mountains
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Habitat was not recorded at the few localities where this species has been found in North Carolina
Larval Host Plants: Larvae of this species has been reared in captivity on dandelion (Taraxacum) (Zaspel et al., 2008), suggesting they might be polyphagous, feeding on a wide range of forbs. - View
Observation Methods: Collection methods were not recorded at the sites where this species has been found in North Carolina
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: [SR]
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S1S2]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands
Comments: The only current records come from the northern mountains, where they were collected by J.B. Sullivan. The historic records from the Haywood County and the Piedmont may represent misidentifications.