Moths of North Carolina
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Apantesis Members:
77 NC Records

Apantesis parthenice (Kirby, 1837) - Parthenice Tiger Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: ErebidaeSubfamily: ArctiinaeTribe: ArctiiniP3 Number: 930246.00 MONA Number: 8196.00 MONA Synonym: Grammia parthenice
Comments: The genus Apantesis is represented by 43 species in North America, including 13 species in North Carolina. The form occurring in North Carolina has long been considered to represent subspecies intermedia, which is much larger than the nominate subspecies occurring in the northern plains and boreal areas. However, Schmidt (2009) stated that more work would be needed to see if Southeastern populations are actually the same as those from Texas, where intermedia was originally described.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1960); Schmidt (2009)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1960)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A boldly marked Tiger Moth, second in size only to A. virgo among our species. Easily recognizable from a good quality photograph where both the hindwings and forewings are in view. The hindwings are usually red or pink (rarely yellow) and have a row of black spots located along the outer margin but lacks the ante-medial spots characteristic of virgo. The forewings are black with both narrow yellow lines along the veins and a set of broader yellow bands running longitudinally and transversely. This pattern is similar to that of A. virgo and A. anna but the post-median (terminology following Schmidt, 2009) is strongly bent at the midpoint in those species but is only slightly bent, if at all, in A. parthenice.
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 wholly black or with some brown hair or a pale dorsal line. 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: Probably occurs statewide except possibly on the Outer Banks and other barrier islands
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)

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