Moths of North Carolina
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Gabara Members:
169 NC Records

Gabara pulverosalis (Walker, 1866) - An Erebid Moth

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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: ErebidaeSubfamily: ScoleocampinaeP3 Number: 930645.00 MONA Number: 8524.00
Comments: One of seven species in this genus that occurs in North American north of Mexico (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010). Three of these species have been recorded in North Carolina (one historic record for G. obscura needs to be confirmed). One undescribed species also appears to exist.
Species Status: This species appears to be the most distinct of our members of this genus based on bar-code analysis. The male genitalic characters are also distinct in this species.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The ground color is mouse gray, evenly powdered on a clay-colored base (Forbes, 1954); according to Richards (1942) the ground color is almost always dark sooty gray but some dwarf forms are light to almost white. The fuscous postmedian line and black orbicular and reniform dots are distinct but this species lacks the longitudinal dark streak found in some specimens of the other species. Dark forms of Gabara distema humeralis are also mouse gray to black but smoother in shading than pulverosalis (Forbes, 1954).
Wingspan: 18 to 30 mm., usually 24 to 28 mm (Richards, 1942)
Adult Structural Features: Well characterized by the presence of two costal prongs on the valve, the distal of which is long, curved, and almost reaching end of valve (Richards, 1942). The vesica of the aedeagus usually has one large and one moderate spine but may have two large spines or only one spine (see figure in Richards, 1942).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable only by close inspection of structural features or by DNA analysis.
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)

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Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Larval Host Plants: The hosts are apparently undocumented. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Longleaf Woodlands
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: W3
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G4 [S3S4]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: