Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
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122 NC Records

Renia factiosalis (Walker, 1859) - Sociable Renia Moth


Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: ErebidaeSubfamily: HerminiinaeP3 Number: 930530.00 MONA Number: 8379.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The ground color is a dark umber-brown (Forbes, 1954, described males as more blackish, but that does not appear to be the case in our specimens). The antemedian is somewhat irregular and in our specimens often preceded by a narrow pale shade. The postmedian is more sharply dentate and is followed by a wide band of yellowish. A vague dark median shade may also be present and the subterminal is an irregular pale line that is preceded by a dark shade (making the postmedian area somewhat bicolored). The orbicular is small and orange; the reniform is also orange but contains two black dots that may join to form a lunule. The hindwings are a smoky gray with distinct, pale luteous postmedian and subterminal lines. Forbes mentions a pale form (plenilinealis) that has considerable yellow shadings; at least one of our specimens matches that description.
Wingspan: 22-25 mm (Forbes, 1954)
Forewing Length:
Adult Structural Features: The forewings have a somewhat more pointed apex than in sobrialis but are less falcate than in discoloralis (Forbes, 1954).
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.
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: This species is associated with woodlands across its range (Wagner et al., 2011). Our records are all from forested habitats but include closed canopy hardwood forests in addition to open woodlands. The presence of hardwoods appear to be the common denominator.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on dead leaves and other detritus (Wagner et al., 2011) - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR S4S5
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
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 Photo Gallery for Renia factiosalis - Sociable Renia Moth

Photos: 30

Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-31
Macon Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-31
Macon Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-31
Swain Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-30
Swain Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-29
Swain Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-07-27
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-07-17
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-06-21
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2022-06-15
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-06-15
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2021-09-18
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2021-09-03
Mecklenburg Co.
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Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2021-09-03
Mecklenburg Co.
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Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2021-07-19
Graham Co.
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Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-06-24
Wake Co.
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Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2021-06-18
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-07-02
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2019-08-12
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-07-05
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2019-06-14
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2019-06-01
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2019-05-21
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2018-09-01
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2018-08-05
Yancey Co.
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Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2018-07-15
Graham Co.
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Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2018-07-10
Graham Co.
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Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2016-08-01
Ashe Co.
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Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2015-08-11
Cherokee Co.
Comment: Form plenilinealis
Recorded by: T. DeSantis on 2011-08-19
Camden Co.
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Recorded by: T. DeSantis on 2011-06-01
Camden Co.
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