Moths of North Carolina
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Common Name:
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View PDFNoctuidae Members:
Rachiplusia Members:
22 NC Records

Rachiplusia ou (Guenée, 1852) - Gray Looper

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: PlusiinaeTribe: PlusiiniP3 Number: 931176.00 MONA Number: 8895.00
Comments: This genus comprises three species, all confined to the New World but with only R. ou reaching North America (Lafontaine and Poole, 1991).
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954, as Plusia ou); Lafontaine and Poole (1991)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized, dull, ash-gray Looper. Lines on the forewing are non-contrasting and inconspicuous, but both the antemedian and postmedian are doubled, pale filled, and waved rather than even (Forbes, 1954). The subterminal is somewhat irregular, with a dark shade on the basal side and a pale gray shade beyond it; both the apex and anal angle usually are marked with pale gray. The stigma is a rounded, open u-shape, without a silver filling; a small silver spot, sometimes with a dark center, follows. Hindwings are dull luteous.
Wingspan: 35-40 mm (Forbes, 1954)
Adult Structural Features: The only species of Plusiine in our area with spines on the tibiae of all three pairs of legs (Lafontaine and Pool, 1991).
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.
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

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