Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFErebidae Members: Abablemma Members: 96 NC Records

Abablemma brimleyana (Dyar, 1914) - Brimley's Halfling

Abablemma brimleyana
view caption 		Abablemma brimleyanaAbablemma brimleyanaAbablemma brimleyana
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Scoleocampinae		P3 Number:
930651		 MONA Number:
8437.00		 Other Common Name:
Brimley's Abablemma
Comments: Placed in the Hypenodinae by Wagner et al. (2011) based on larval characteristics and diet.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes, 1923-60; Pogue, 2012Technical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner et al., 2011                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Melanomma auricinctaria is similar in size and also has a conspicuous dark reniform spot. It differs in possessing a gold band that borders the outside of the reniform and a "pupil" of the same color located within the reniform. A. brimleyana also has a pattern of fine dark striations over the middle and basal portions of its forewing which is missing in auricinctaria.
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Most of our records come from the coastal plain and southern Piedmont.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Abablemma brimleyanaAlamance 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.
Flight Comments: Local populations appear to have both a spring and late-summer brood. As of 2022, our records are from late-April through early-May and from mid-August to mid-September.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Sometimes common in dry to xeric woodlands (Wagner et al., 2011). In NC, this species has been recorded in very xeric sandhills, as well as maritime forests and Piedmont monadnock forests. However, it has also been recorded in wet-to-mesic peatlands and longleaf pine savannas.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae reportedly feed on lichens and algae, and have been reared in captivity on Protococcus (Wagner et al., 2011). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Observation Methods: Typically only a few specimens are collected on any one night in 15 w UV bucket traps, although 51 were collected in a sample from a white cedar stand in Dare County.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: [GNR] 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 Abablemma brimleyana - Brimley's Halfling

 34 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-08-29
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-08-29
Moore Co.
Comment:
Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-02
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-02
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-02
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-22
Brunswick Co.
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Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Rob Van Epps, Kevin Metcalf on 2025-07-20
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-01
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-01
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin, David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin, David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
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Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-17
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-17
Brunswick Co.
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Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2024-05-29
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2024-05-21
Carteret Co.
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Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-03
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2023-05-22
Carteret Co.
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Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2022-08-25
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2022-08-18
Chatham Co.
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Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: Darryl Willis on 2022-06-09
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2022-05-29
Chatham Co.
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Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: Morgan Freese on 2022-05-27
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: David L. Heavner on 2021-08-22
Chatham Co.
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Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2021-07-29
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-11-05
Onslow Co.
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Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: Darryl Willis on 2020-08-12
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Abablemma brimleyanaRecorded by: Britta Muiznieks on 2013-09-05
Dare Co.
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