Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFErebidae Members: Renia Members: 175 NC Records

Renia sobrialis (Walker, 1859) - Sober Renia

Renia sobrialisRenia sobrialisRenia sobrialis
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Herminiinae		P3 Number:
930539		 MONA Number:
8387.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The ground color is a dark, smoky gray with little or no contrasts (Forbes, 1954). The antemedian and postmedian are inconspicuous but darker than the ground color and either dentate or irregular. In our specimens, the subterminal often consists of narrow white dots. The orbicular and reniform are yellowish or orange; the reniform can have large, dark central spots that sometimes forms a connected lunule.
Wingspan: 25 mm (Forbes, 1954)
Adult Structural Features: The males are distinctive, with the knot in the antennae occurring just beyond the midpoint of the shaft (Forbes, 1954). The palps in both sexes have a curved second segment, with those of the females contrasting with those of most others in this genus which are generally long and projecting straight foward.
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.
Renia sobrialisAlamance 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: The majority of our records come from Longleaf Pine savannas, seeps, bog, shorelines, and other open, wet, herb-dominated habitats
Larval Host Plants: Feeding preferences are not well documented but larvae are believed to feed on dead leaves and other detritus (Wagner et al., 2011). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Sedge, Grass, and Rush Mires
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 Renia sobrialis - Sober Renia

Photos: 8
Renia sobrialisRecorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-07-21
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Renia sobrialisRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-16
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Renia sobrialisRecorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2022-07-03
Sampson Co.
Comment: 		Renia sobrialisRecorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2022-07-03
Sampson Co.
Comment:
Renia sobrialisRecorded by: Vin Stanton on 2020-06-06
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Renia sobrialisRecorded by: Stephen Hall on 2015-08-10
Cherokee Co.
Comment:
Renia sobrialisRecorded by: j.wyche on 2013-09-02
Gates Co.
Comment: 		Renia sobrialisRecorded by: Doug Blatny/Jackie Nelson on 2011-07-06
Ashe Co.
Comment: