Moths of North Carolina

Scientific Name:	Common Name:		Family (Alpha):

View PDF	Noctuidae Members:	Autoplusia Members:	1 NC Records
Autoplusia egena (Guenée, 1852) - Bean-lead Skeletonizer Moth

No image for this species.

Taxonomy

Superfamily: Noctuoidea	Family: Noctuidae	Subfamily: Plusiinae	Tribe: Plusiini	P3 Number: 931172	MONA Number: 8891.00
Comments: One of three species in this genus that occurs in North America north of Mexico (Lafontaine and Poole, 1991). Only Autoplusia egena has been recorded in North Carolina, but another species, A. egenoides, occurs in Florida.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions:	Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD	Technical Description, Adults: Lafontaine and Poole (1991)
Adult Markings: A medium-sized, rusty-brown looper with long, pointed, semi-falcate wings. The costal and basal portions of the wing are light tan, contrasting with dark brown patches located along the lower part of the median area and in the subterminal area. A crescentic, metallic bronzy patch occurs in the terminal area, following the evenly curved subterminal line to the apex (Lafontaine and Poole, 1991). Forewing spots are inconspicuous and the hind wings are fuscous.
Forewing Length: 15-20 mm (Lafontaine and Poole, 1991)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.

Distribution in North Carolina


Distribution: Probably a rare stray to our area.
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) Click on graph to enlarge

Habitats and Life History

Habitats:

Larval Host Plants: Larvae are polyphagous on a wide range of herbaceous plants, including numerous crop species. Eichlin (1975) specifically lists celery, soybean, spearmint, Hollyhock, Groundsel-tree, carrot, larkspur (Delphinium), beans (Phaseolus), marigold, and vervain (Verbena). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View

Wikipedia

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: [GNR] SNA

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.

Comments: We have a single, historic record for this species. It probably occurs here only as a rare migratory species.

Autoplusia egena (Guenée, 1852) - Bean-lead Skeletonizer Moth