Moths of North Carolina
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936 NC Records

Idia aemula Hübner, 1814 - Common Idia Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: ErebidaeSubfamily: HerminiinaeP3 Number: 930471.00 MONA Number: 8323.00
Comments: One of eighteen species recorded in North America (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010), twelve of which are found in North Carolina.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954); Rings et al. (1992)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner et al. (2011)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A moderately small deltoid, similar in size to Idia americalis but more evenly shaded with smoky to yellowish-gray and not paler towards the base or along the costa. Lines are darker but not as heavy as in americalis. Both the orbicular and reniform are usually contrastingly pale yellow, although in some individuals the spots can be blackish and much darker than the ground color. The terminal line is broken into a series of spots, unlike the continuous line found in americalis (Forbes, 1954). Aemula is similar in pattern and forewing color to Idia "concisa" but has a more fuscous hindwing that is nearly concolorous with the forewing (Forbes, 1954). The median band of the forewing is also usually more diffuse in aemula than in "concisa" (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010).
Wingspan: 20-30 mm (Forbes, 1954)
Adult Structural Features: Like americalis and "concisa", aemula has relatively short palps, not reaching the vertex (Forbes' subgenus Epizeuxis). The third segment is blunt and blade-like with rough hair on the upper surface (Forbes, 1954).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
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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