Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFErebidae Members: Pygarctia Members: 48 NC Records

Pygarctia abdominalis Grote, 1871 - Yellow-edged Pygarctia

Pygarctia abdominalisPygarctia abdominalisPygarctia abdominalisPygarctia abdominalis
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Arctiinae		Tribe:
Arctiini		P3 Number:
930430		 MONA Number:
8255.00		 Other Common Name:
Yellow-edged Tussock Moth
Comments: One of nine members of this genus that occur in North America (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010), and the only one that has been recorded in North Carolina
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1960); Schweitzer et al. (2011)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Illustrated in Schweitzer et al. (2011) but detailed descriptions of the larvae appear to be lacking                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Coloration is similar to both Euchaetes egle and Pagara simplex, with wings predominantly gray and abdomen yellow or orange with a mid-dorsal row of black dots. However, both the costa and inner margin of the forewing is lined with yellow in P. abdominalis, unlike the other two whose wings are solidly gray. A good quality photograph showing the forewings should be sufficient to identify this species.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: From a photograph included in Schweitzer et al. (2011), larvae appear to be densely covered with long, soft, grayish-brown hair.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Restricted to the Coastal Plain, including the Fall-line Sandhills
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Pygarctia abdominalisAlamance 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.