Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFErebidae Members: Idia Members: 315 NC Records

Idia lubricalis (Geyer, 1832) - Glossy Black Idia

Idia lubricalisIdia lubricalisIdia lubricalis
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Herminiinae		P3 Number:
930482		 MONA Number:
8334.00
Comments: One of eighteen species recorded in North America (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010), twelve of which are found in North Carolina.
Species Status: This is likely a complex of three or more species, based both on size differences and DNA barcoding.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This species -- or at least some of the members of this complex -- are fairly large for an Idia. The ground color is typically a dark umber shade and crossed by sharply dentate, clay-colored lines (Forbes, 1954). The orbicular may be yellowish, when present. The reniform is luteous but nearly filled with a fuscous lunule, often leaving only an inner edge marked in yellow. The hindwings are usually much paler, with a dirty fuscous ground color, and crossed by two vague fuscous shades.
Wingspan: 25-35 mm inn Eastern specimens (Forbes, 1954). Some of forms in this complex appear to be much smaller in size.
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 good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Idia lubricalisAlamance 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.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Woodlands and forests (Wagner et al., 2011). Adults have been seen congregating during the day inside basements and hollow trees. Our records come from a wide variety of hardwood forests.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on fungi and lichens (Forbes, 1954) and possibly on detritus and foliage of living plants (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: G5 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 lubricalis - Glossy Black Idia

 60 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Idia lubricalisRecorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Joye Zhou on 2025-06-20
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Idia lubricalisRecorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-09-07
Alamance Co.
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Idia lubricalisRecorded by: John Petranka on 2024-09-06
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Idia lubricalisRecorded by: David George on 2024-08-31
Chatham Co.
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Idia lubricalisRecorded by: John Petranka on 2024-08-31
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Idia lubricalisRecorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-08-15
Yancey Co.
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Idia lubricalisRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-03
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Idia lubricalisRecorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2024-07-14
Macon Co.
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Idia lubricalisRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-06-29
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Idia lubricalisRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-06
Madison Co.
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Idia lubricalisRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Tony McBride on 2023-07-23
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Idia lubricalisRecorded by: K. Bischof on 2023-07-16
Transylvania Co.
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Idia lubricalisRecorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-13
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Idia lubricalisRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-17
New Hanover Co.
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Idia lubricalisRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-17
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Idia lubricalisRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-08-20
Madison Co.
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Idia lubricalisRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-07-29
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Idia lubricalisRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-07-20
Madison Co.
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Idia lubricalisRecorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-07-17
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Idia lubricalisRecorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-07-06
Guilford Co.
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Idia lubricalisRecorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-06-21
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Idia lubricalisRecorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-06-12
Orange Co.
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Idia lubricalisRecorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-06-11
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Idia lubricalisRecorded by: David L. Heavner on 2021-09-11
Chatham Co.
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Idia lubricalisRecorded by: John Petranka on 2021-08-02
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Idia lubricalisRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-07-16
Madison Co.
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Idia lubricalisRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-06-04
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Idia lubricalisRecorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-09-13
Guilford Co.
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Idia lubricalisRecorded by: tom ward on 2020-08-04
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Idia lubricalisRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2020-07-24
Madison Co.
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