Moths of North Carolina

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Idia rotundalis (Walker, 1866) - Rotund Idia

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Noctuoidea

Family:
Erebidae

Subfamily:
Herminiinae

P3 Number:
930474

MONA Number:
8326.00

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

Technical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954); Rings et al. (1992)

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner et al. (2011)

Adult Markings: A relatively small glossy black or dark umber deltoid; wingspan = 20 mm (Forbes, 1954). Lines on the forewing are obscure, if visible at all, with no conspicuous white marks on the costa and usually no white or just a small amount of gray showing at the orbicular or reniform. The undersides of the hindwings are also fairly dark, with only obscure lines showing; in both julia and forbesii, the hindwing undersides are paler and crossed by more obvious dark lines (Rings et al., 1992).

Wingspan: 20 mm (Forbes, 1954)

Adult Structural Features: Belongs to Forbes' subgenus Pseudaglossa, characterized by long palps -- reaching the vertex -- and with the third segement very long, conical, and smoothly scaled (Forbes, 1954).

Structural photos

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

Immatures and Development: Larvae are pale gray with peg-like setae similar to those of other species of Idia; the proleg on A3 is reduced and lacks crochets (Wagner et al., 2011).

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Found statewide, from the Barrier Islands to the High Mountains

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: Adults are present throughout the growing season with two peaks in activity occurring in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Occupies nearly all habitats found in North Carolina, with the possible exception of maritime dunes.

Larval Host Plants: Larvae are probably generalized detritivores, feeding on dead leaves, fungi, and other organic matter (Forbes, 1954; Wagner et al., 2011). - View

Observation Methods: Comes well to blacklights, sometimes abundantly. Also comes to bait.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Forests and Fields

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S5]

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

Comments: Idia rotundalis is one of our most common and ubiquitous species and appears to be quite secure within the state.

Photo Gallery for Idia rotundalis - Rotund Idia

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

	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-22 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-21 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-06 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-09-14 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-03 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-08-31 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-25 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-08-22 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kenneth Geisert, David Bradley, Julie Tuttle, Patrick Coin, Kaitlyn Elliott, Becky Watkins on 2024-08-17 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06 Transylvania Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-05 Transylvania Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-05 Transylvania Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2024-07-21 Graham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-07-08 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-27 Yancey Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin on 2024-06-22 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George on 2024-06-20 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Steve Hall, Patrick Coin, Mark Basinger on 2024-06-16 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-14 Scotland Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-01 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-25 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-15 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Hall, David George, and David Bradley on 2024-05-07 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-16 New Hanover Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-11-10 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-10-10 Warren Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-09-16 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-09-16 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-09-07 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-09-04 Orange Co. Comment: