Moths of North Carolina
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35 NC Records

Idia denticulalis (Harvey, 1875) - Toothed Idia Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: ErebidaeSubfamily: HerminiinaeP3 Number: 930481.00 MONA Number: 8333.00
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: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized Idia with a powdery luteous ground color shaded with fuscous (Forbes, 1954). The lines are contrastingly black and deeply dentate, particularly the postmedian, and a strong blackish shade is present in the middle of the wing below the cell. The orbicular is typically obscure but the reniform is usually fairly large, pale, and possessing a fuscous central lunule. The hindwings are similarly luteous but often paler and with more diffuse fuscous lines. Overall, the luteous ground color is similar to that of Idia laurentii, but the lines in that species are less dentate and it lacks the dark medial shade.
Wingspan: 28 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).
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)

Click on graph to enlarge
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Most of our records come from riparian habitats, shorelines, or other wet forested areas. A few also come from cove forests and from one ridge in the Piedmont that has a large number of upland depressions.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on dead leaves and other detritus; also on lichens (Wagner et al., 2011) - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Wet-Mesic Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G4 S3S4
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 denticulalis - Toothed Idia Moth

Photos: 4

Recorded by: Lenny Lampel on 2023-07-28
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2022-08-06
Cabarrus Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2013-06-14
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger on 2011-06-30
Wake Co.
Comment: