Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFErebidae Members: Idia Members: 743 NC Records

Idia rotundalis (Walker, 1866) - Rotund Idia

Idia rotundalisIdia rotundalisIdia rotundalis
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, BOLDTechnical 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.
Idia rotundalisAlamance 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.
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

 87 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Idia rotundalisRecorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2025-09-02
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Idia rotundalisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-21
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Idia rotundalisRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Marilyn Westphal and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-17
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Idia rotundalisRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Marilyn Westphal and Becky Elkin. on 2025-08-17
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Idia rotundalisRecorded by: David George, Kevin Bischof, Rich Teper, Patrick Coin on 2025-08-16
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Idia rotundalisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-12
Ashe Co.
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Idia rotundalisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-06
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Idia rotundalisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-22
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Idia rotundalisRecorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Joye Zhou on 2025-06-20
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Idia rotundalisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-21
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Idia rotundalisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-06
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Idia rotundalisRecorded by: John Petranka on 2024-09-14
Orange Co.
Comment:
Idia rotundalisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-03
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Idia rotundalisRecorded by: John Petranka on 2024-08-31
Orange Co.
Comment:
Idia rotundalisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-25
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Idia rotundalisRecorded by: John Petranka on 2024-08-22
Orange Co.
Comment:
Idia rotundalisRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kenneth Geisert, David Bradley, Julie Tuttle, Patrick Coin, Kaitlyn Elliott, Becky Watkins on 2024-08-17
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Idia rotundalisRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Idia rotundalisRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-05
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Idia rotundalisRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-05
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Idia rotundalisRecorded by: Owen McConnell on 2024-07-21
Graham Co.
Comment: 		Idia rotundalisRecorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-07-08
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Idia rotundalisRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-27
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Idia rotundalisRecorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin on 2024-06-22
Chatham Co.
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Idia rotundalisRecorded by: David George on 2024-06-20
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Idia rotundalisRecorded by: David George, Steve Hall, Patrick Coin, Mark Basinger on 2024-06-16
Chatham Co.
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Idia rotundalisRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-14
Scotland Co.
Comment: 		Idia rotundalisRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-01
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Idia rotundalisRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-25
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Idia rotundalisRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-15
Madison Co.
Comment: