Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
« Home »
View PDFErebidae Members: Idia Members: 230 NC Records

Idia forbesii (French, 1894) - Forbes' Idia

Idia forbesiiIdia forbesiiIdia forbesiiIdia forbesii
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Herminiinae		P3 Number:
930475		 MONA Number:
8327.00		 Other Common Name:
Forbes's Idia
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: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954); Rings et al. (1992)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A small, glossy blackish Idia similar in size and color to both rotundalis and especially julia, with narrow to obscure white markings on the forewings (Forbes, 1954). The hindwings, however, show a greater contrast with the forewings than in the other two species, having a dirty white ground color and more conspicuous white banding, a pattern also shows up on the underside of the hindwing (form merricki; form forbesi has a predominantly blackish hindwing). The apical segment of the palps has a minute white tip.
Wingspan: 18-21 mm (Forbes, 1954)
Adult Structural Features: Belongs to Forbes' subgenus Pseudaglossa, characterized by long palps -- reaching the vertex -- and with the third segment very long, conical, and smoothly scaled (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.
Idia forbesiiAlamance 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 Hanover 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.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Wagner et al. (2011) give dry woods as the habitat. However, we have records from swamp forests, bottmland hardwoods, and other wet or mesic habitats in addition to dry woodlands, including maritime forests, sand ridges, and dry upland woodlands.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on dead leaves and detritus (Wagner et al., 2011). - View
Observation Methods: Comes readily to bait and to blacklights.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SNR [S4S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Idia forbesii - Forbes' Idia

 48 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Idia forbesii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Marilyn Westphal and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-17
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Idia forbesii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Marilyn Westphal and Becky Elkin. on 2025-08-17
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Idia forbesii
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: 		Idia forbesii
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Idia forbesii
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-05
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Idia forbesii
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin, Steve Hall, Carol Tingley, Tom Howard on 2024-07-27
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Idia forbesii
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-12
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Idia forbesii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-06-06
Madison Co.
Comment:
Idia forbesii
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-05-25
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Idia forbesii
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-05-20
Orange Co.
Comment:
Idia forbesii
Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Idia forbesii
Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Idia forbesii
Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2023-08-19
Graham Co.
Comment: 		Idia forbesii
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-08-18
Orange Co.
Comment:
Idia forbesii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-06
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Idia forbesii
Recorded by: John Petranka, David George on 2023-08-05
Orange Co.
Comment:
Idia forbesii
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-31
Macon Co.
Comment: 		Idia forbesii
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-30
Swain Co.
Comment:
Idia forbesii
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-30
Swain Co.
Comment: 		Idia forbesii
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-26
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Idia forbesii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-06-10
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Idia forbesii
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-06
Durham Co.
Comment:
Idia forbesii
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-03
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Idia forbesii
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-05-31
Durham Co.
Comment:
Idia forbesii
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2022-09-14
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Idia forbesii
Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2022-05-31
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Idia forbesii
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2022-05-20
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Idia forbesii
Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2021-08-21
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Idia forbesii
Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-06-16
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Idia forbesii
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2020-09-01
Orange Co.
Comment: