Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFErebidae Members: Rivula Members: 236 NC Records

Rivula propinqualis Guenée, 1854 - Spotted Grass Moth

Rivula propinqualisRivula propinqualisRivula propinqualis
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Rivulinae		P3 Number:
930592		 MONA Number:
8404.00
Comments: One of three species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010), two of which have been recorded in North Carolina.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner et al. (2011)                                                                                 
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Occurs essentially statewide in North Carolina, but is apparently uncommon on the Outer Banks and at higher elevations in the mountains.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Rivula propinqualisAlamance 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: Most of our records come from wetlands, including floodplain forests, swamps, bogs, seeps, and shorelines, all where wetland graminoids are prominent features of the herb layer. A few records come from high elevation grasslands in the mountains and wet pastures in the Piedmont.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on grasses (Wagner et al., 2011). In North Carolina, Tracy Feldman has reared a larva from Awl-fruit Sedge (Carex stipata). - 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 Rivula propinqualis - Spotted Grass Moth

 97 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-09-25
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-09-25
Cumberland Co.
Comment:
Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-09-25
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-13
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2025-08-23
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-08-16
Orange Co.
Comment:
Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Marilyn Westphal. on 2025-08-09
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal on 2025-08-06
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-04
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-31
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-07-12
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-04
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: David George, David Bradley, Becky Watkins, David Cheng, Michelle Lotker, Tracy Feldman, et al. on 2025-06-28
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Joye Zhou on 2025-06-20
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-06
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-22
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2025-04-20
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-21
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-20
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-07
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-08-22
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-10
Mitchell Co.
Comment:
Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2024-08-06
Graham Co.
Comment: 		Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-24
Orange Co.
Comment:
Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-07-07
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: David George on 2024-07-04
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-26
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin on 2024-06-22
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish on 2024-06-18
Lincoln Co.
Comment: 		Rivula propinqualis
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-14
Scotland Co.
Comment: