Moths of North Carolina
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Pyrrharctia Members:
270 NC Records

Pyrrharctia isabella (J.E. Smith, 1797) - Isabella Tiger Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: ErebidaeSubfamily: ArctiinaeTribe: ArctiiniP3 Number: 930335.00 MONA Number: 8129.00
Comments: The only member of its genus north of Mexico
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1960)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1960); Wagner (2005)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The forewings are pointed at the apex and colored apricot-yellow to buff-brown, marked to a varying extent with angulate rows of darker spots or lines. Hind-wings are constrastingly light: salmon-tinted in females and pale whitish in males, also marked with darker spots. Head and thorax are darker brown; the abdomen is colored similarly to the forewings and has a series of dark, dorsal spots. Legs are black with bright scarlet tibiae.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Caterpillars are the familiar Wooly Bears, with dark brown head- and tail-ends with rusty red in between.
Larvae ID Requirements: Unmistakable and widely known.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Probably occurs statewide
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
Immature 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: Reported to have two broods over most of the East (Forbes, 1960; Wagner, 2005). Our records may be consistent with that pattern but adults appear to be present throughout most of the growing season.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Wagner (2005) lists habitats as including "fields, bottomlands, woodlands, and forests." Our records come primarily from open areas, ranging from beach dunes to high-elevation fields and clearings; larvae are often seen in old-field habitats. We have very few records, however, from naturally open Longleaf Pine savannas, flatwoods, and sandhills, or from peatland habitats, possibly indicating a lack of fire-tolerance. On the other hand, we have at least some records from forested habitats, although usually where fields are located nearby or where there is a dense ground-cover of herbaceous species (e.g., in forested sedge-mires in the lower Roanoke River floodplain).
Larval Host Plants: Polyphagous, feeding on many low-growing forbs and graminoids, as well as woody plants, including some tree species (Wagner, 2005).
Observation Methods: Comes moderately well to blacklights but not to bait. Larvae are active during the day, and are especially conspicuous when seeking sites for pupation or overwintering
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Successional Fields and Forblands
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 [S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands
Comments: Widely distributed across the state, common, and using a broad range of open habitas, including disturbed areas, this species appears to be secure within the state. It may be somewhat vulnerable, however, to changes in farming practices that reduce the amount of fallow land, including old-field habitats, or to the use of herbicides and pesticides applied both to croplands and tree farms, including recent clearcuts.

 Photo Gallery for Pyrrharctia isabella - Isabella Tiger Moth

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

Recorded by: Morgan Freese on 2023-09-18
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-09-05
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-09-03
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-14
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Tony McBride on 2023-07-23
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2023-07-22
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Steve Hall, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-22
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-07-08
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George on 2023-06-16
Avery Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2023-06-16
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Erich Hofmann on 2023-06-10
Columbus Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-06-06
Alleghany Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-06-02
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-05-22
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-05-15
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2023-05-09
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-04-19
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-04-13
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-04-11
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2023-01-06
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-01-02
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Terrell Tucker on 2022-11-14
Moore Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-11-09
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Travis McLain on 2022-11-06
Anson Co.
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Recorded by: Travis McLain on 2022-11-06
Anson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-11-02
Wake Co.
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Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2022-10-29
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Morgan Freese on 2022-09-25
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn on 2022-09-09
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-08-27
Carteret Co.
Comment: