Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFErebidae Members:
Halysidota Members:
1 NC Records

Halysidota cinctipes Grote, 1865 - Florida Tussock Moth

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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: ErebidaeSubfamily: ArctiinaeTribe: ArctiiniP3 Number: 930364 MONA Number: 8202.00
Comments: One of five species in this genus that occur in North America (Lafontaine and Schimdt, 20010), three of which have been recorded in North Carolina
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Watson (1980)Technical Description, Immature Stages: MPG                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Nearly identical to H. tessalaris and harrisii, but the clypeofrons is marked with dark brown rather than pale yellow and there are two pairs of blue-green patches on the thorax, the first located below the eyes and the other below the base of the forewing (Watson, 1980). Covell (1984) also mentions that cinctipes has a blue-green dorsal stripe on the thorax, but at least some tesselaris also have that marking (Watson, 1980).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Immatures and Development: Larvae shown on MPG are are covered primarily with gray hair, with a mid-dorsal row of black tufts and white pencils.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Possibly just a rare stray in North Carolina or misidentified
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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Flight Comments: Too little data exists to determine any sort of pattern, but the one modern record we have is from May.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Undetermined in North Carolina. If it actually has any resident populations in our state, it could be associated with Mallows growing in marshes or along river and lake shorelines.
Larval Host Plants: Watson (1980) lists Hibiscus (Hibiscus spp.), Sea Grapes (Coccoloba uvifera), and Pigeon Plum (Coccoloba floridana) of which only Hibiscus occurs in our area. - View
Observation Methods: Has come at least once to a 15 watt UV blacklight.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [SU]
State Protection: It has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: Too little information exists for this species to determine whether it is even a resident, let alone a species of conservation concern. Larvae should be looked for on Mallows and related species in order to determine if it is an established species in North Carolina.