Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFErebidae Members: Calyptra Members: 12 NC Records

Calyptra canadensis (Bethune, 1865) - Canadian Owlet Moth

Calyptra canadensisCalyptra canadensis
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Calpinae		Tribe:
Calpini		P3 Number:
930612		 MONA Number:
8536.00		 Other Common Name:
Meadow Rue Owlet
Species Status: The adults of this and other Calyptra species feed by piercing fruits with their long proboscis and sucking up the internal juices and tissues (Snyder et al., 2016). They rock the head back and forth when feeding. Several other species within this genus feed on the blood of mammals using a similar technique.
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), Snyder et al. (2016)                                                                                 
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae feed on the foliage and also probably consume the flowers and seeds of meadow-rues. Captive specimens that Snyder et al. (2016) studied in New Hampshire required 4-6 weeks to complete the larval period, followed by a pupal stage that lasted around two weeks. The first-instar larvae were uniformly bright green, while second-instar larvae developed dark lateral spots, along with two dark bands that ran the length of the body. The third-instar larvae secondarily lost the dark bands and developed more conspicuous lateral spots. The 4th and 5th instars developed more complex patterning with the ventrolateral surface developing a black longitudinal stripe, and the remainder of the larvae developing yellow, blackish and white striping with black cross-striping above.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Calyptra canadensis is primary found in cooler climates in eastern North America. It occurs in southern Canada from Nova Scotia to as far west as Alberta (Snyder et al., 2016), and in the US from Maine and other New England states westward across the Great Lakes region to Minnesota and northeastern North Dakota, then southward to western Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, northern Georgia and western North Carolina. As of 2024, all of our records are from lower to higher elevations in the Blue Ridge.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Calyptra canadensisAlamance 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.
Immature 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: immatures.
Flight Comments: The adults have been observed from May to October in different areas of the range, with a seasonal peak in many populations in July (Snyder et al., 2016). The flight period is longer in the southern portion of the range, where there might be more than one broad produced in some populations. As of 2024, our records extend from late-May through early-August.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Local populations are generally associated with open habitats such as bogs, fens, prairies, fields, wet meadows, woodland edges and open woods where meadow-rues are present (Snyder et al., 2016).
Larval Host Plants: The larvae appear to specialize on meadow-rues (Thalictrum spp.) (Wagner, 2005, 2011; Snyder et al., 2016), and we have a feeding record in North Carolina from an unidentified meadow-rue. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: [W-PK]
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S2S3]
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 Calyptra canadensis - Canadian Owlet Moth

Photos: 4
Calyptra canadensisRecorded by: tom ward on 2022-06-30
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Calyptra canadensisRecorded by: Ted Wilcox on 2022-05-17
Avery Co.
Comment:
Calyptra canadensisRecorded by: Ted Wilcox on 2022-05-17
Avery Co.
Comment: 		Calyptra canadensisRecorded by: Ted Wilcox on 2022-05-08
Watauga Co.
Comment: