Moths of North Carolina
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Argyrostrotis Members:
362 NC Records

Argyrostrotis deleta (Guenée, 1852) - Ruined Chocolate Moth

Argyrostrotis deleta
view caption 		Argyrostrotis deletaArgyrostrotis deleta
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Erebinae		Tribe:
Poaphilini		P3 Number:
930955		 MONA Number:
8763.00		 Other Common Name:
Deleta Chocolate Moth
Comments: One of six species in this genus, all of which occur in central and eastern North America, including North Carolina (Sullivan and Lafontaine, 2011).
Species Status: This genus was recently revised by Sullivan and Lafontaine (2011). They provide a key and illustrations but not any detailed descriptions of the species. A key is also provided by Forbes (1954), who describes only the northern members of this genus in detail.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The antennae are often white, at least in fresh specimens. The ground color of the forewings is dark brown. The antemedial and postmedial lines are usually visible and are darker brown than the ground color and often shaded with a narrow band of ochre, sometimes basally in the case of the antemedial line and outwardly in the postmedial. Both lines are irregular but not as strongly toothed as in A. erasa. A subterminal line can also be sometimes distinguished but is often just a division between a darker postmedial shade and a somewhat paler subterminal shade. A dark orbicular spot is sometimes present. The fringe of the forewing is gray to pale brown to blackish but usually not the contrasting white found in A. erasa. The subterminal area of the wing is usually darker than the postmedial area in erasa, with the opposite true for deleta.
Forewing Length: 10-13 mm (Sullivan and Lafontaine, 2011)
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.
Argyrostrotis deleta
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Pocosins, Wet Pine Savannas and Flatwoods, margins of depression ponds, blackwater swamps, and other wet, shrubby habitats in the Coastal Plain.
Larval Host Plants: Host plants have not been observed but are likely to be species of shrub associated with Coastal Plain wetlands. - View
Observation Methods: Easily observed during the day when flushed from savanna and pocosin habitats. Comes well to blacklights.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Coastal Plain Wet Acidic Shrublands
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G4G5 SNR [S4]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Argyrostrotis deleta - Ruined Chocolate Moth

Photos: 21

Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-05
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-31
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-31
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Brian Bockhahn on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Brian Bockhahn on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-19
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-18
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-28
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-28
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-28
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-18
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-05-16
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-18
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2021-07-03
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2021-05-27
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-06-18
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-03-28
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-03-13
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2019-06-04
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Scott Pohlman on 2015-06-29
Pender Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Steve Hall on 2014-06-23
Pender Co.
Comment: Common in a shrubby area of a Longleaf Pine savanna