Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Diphthera Members: 13 NC Records

Diphthera festiva (Fabricius, 1775) - Hieroglyphic Moth

Diphthera festivaDiphthera festiva
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Diphtherinae		P3 Number:
931120.5		 MONA Number:
8560.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
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.
Diphthera festivaAlamance 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.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: We have records from several Longleaf Pine savannas, where they may only be strays
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are polyphagous, feeding on herbaceous species in several plant families, including Soybean, Mimosa, and Lespedeza in the Leguminosae. Reports from Pecan and other trees may represent secondary use by wandering individuals following defoliation of their normal hosts (Wagner et al., 2011). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Fields, Gardens, and Ruderal Habitats
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.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Diphthera festiva - Hieroglyphic Moth

Photos: 7
Diphthera festivaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2022-08-17
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Diphthera festivaRecorded by: Scot Shutters on 2021-09-23
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Diphthera festivaRecorded by: Scot Shutters on 2021-09-23
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Diphthera festivaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2020-09-11
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Diphthera festivaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2020-09-11
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Diphthera festivaRecorded by: Michael P. Morales (curator), Fred W. Booth (collector) on 2010-09-17
Cumberland Co.
Comment:
Diphthera festivaRecorded by: Michael P. Morales (curator), Fred W. Booth (collector) on 2010-09-17
Cumberland Co.
Comment: