Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Erebidae Members:	Apantesis Members:	54 NC Records

Apantesis anna (Grote, 1864) - Anna Tiger Moth

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Noctuoidea

Family:
Erebidae

Subfamily:
Arctiinae

Tribe:
Arctiini

P3 Number:
930245

MONA Number:
8176.00

MONA Synonym:
Grammia anna

Comments: The genus Apantesis is represented by 43 species in North America, including 13 species in North Carolina.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)

Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Technical Description, Adults: Forbes (1960); Schmidt (2009)

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1960)

Adult Markings: Easily recognizable from a good quality photograph where both the hindwings and forewings are in view. The hindwings are yellow basally, with a broad black band running along the outer margin and usually with a black hook projecting down from the costa; in females, the hindwing may be completely black. The forewings are black with both narrow yellow lines along the veins and a set of broader yellow bands running longitudinally and transversely (see Schmidt, 2009, for a detailed description). This pattern is similar to that of A. virgo and A. parthenice, both of which have red or pink hindwings with separated black spots rather than a continuous band (in some forms of A. virgo and A. parthenice, the hindwing may also be yellow but with the black spots are separated rather than forming a continuous band (Schmidt, 2009).

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].

Immatures and Development: Forbes (1960) describes the larvae as completely black, but Apantesis larvae are generally similar to one another (Wagner, 2005) and should be reared in order to determine their identity.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Long known from the mountains but more recently discovered in the Uwharries and Sandhills, indicating that there is still more to be learned about its distribution 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) Click on graph to enlarge
Flight Comments: Schmidt (2009) states that it has one flight period, which appears to be the case in North Carolina.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: According to Schmidt (2009), Apantesis anna "inhabits relatively rich, mesic wooded areas, and is one of only a few species restricted to habitats associated with deciduous forests of eastern North America." Records from our Blue Ridge come from both upland and lowland forests. Records from the Uwharries and Sandhills all come from hardwood-dominated stands, all but one of which (4/5) contain extensive hillside seepage bogs or bottomland seeps with fairly rich herbaceous vegetation (the fifth is a dry upland site, although located fairly close to a more mesic ravine).

Larval Host Plants: Members of this genus are highly polyphagous, feeding on a wide range of herbaceous plants, with dicots possibly preferred (Schmidt, 2009). Specific hosts listed in the literature include plantain (Plantago), dandelion (Taraxacum), and clover (Trifolium). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View

Observation Methods: Appears to come well to blacklights, with up to 21 collected in a single trap. Adult mouthparts are non-functional (Singer, 2000, cited in Schmidt, 2009), so they do not come to bait.

Wikipedia

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S3]

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.

Comments: Although this species has a peculiarly patchy and seemingly bimodal range in North Carolina, its distribution and habitats need to be better studied before its conservation status in the state can be accurately estimated.

Photo Gallery for Apantesis anna - Anna Tiger Moth

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

	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky elkin on 2024-06-08 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky elkin on 2024-06-08 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-06-03 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-06-03 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2024-05-26 Graham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2024-05-26 Graham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-06-14 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-06-14 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-31 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Richard Teper on 2022-05-31 Montgomery Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-05-18 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-05-18 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-06-21 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2021-05-28 Yancey Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2021-05-28 Yancey Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Steve Hall on 2019-06-01 Stokes Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Steve Hall on 2019-06-01 Stokes Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-05-31 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-05-24 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-05-28 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-05-28 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Julie Tuttle on 2017-05-25 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Julie Tuttle on 2017-05-25 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Julie Tuttle on 2017-05-25 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2015-07-15 Cabarrus Co. Comment:		Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, P. Scharf, K. Kittelberger on 2015-06-18 Avery Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, P. Scharf, K. Kittelberger on 2015-06-18 Avery Co. Comment:		Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, P. Scharf, K. Kittelberger on 2015-06-18 Avery Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, P. Scharf, K. Kittelberger on 2015-06-18 Avery Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2013-06-25 Madison Co. Comment: