Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members:
Chrysanympha Members:
53 NC Records

Chrysanympha formosa (Grote, 1865) - Formosa Looper

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: PlusiinaeTribe: PlusiiniP3 Number: 931186.00 MONA Number: 8904.00
Comments: The sole member of this genus,which is confined to northern and eastern 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 formosa); Lafontaine and Poole (1991)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized, pale whitish Looper with rounded forewings. A broad, hooked-shaped patch of violet-white extends from the base of the wing through the upper median area, bounded by dark brown shades that grade into lighter brown at the inner margin. A pale, somewhat waved postmedian follows, with another pale crescent in the subterminal area, followed by dark brown adterminal and terminal lines. No stigma is evident and the normal spots are obscure or absent. Hindwings are fuscous.
Wingspan: 35 mm (Forbes, 1954)
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)

Click on graph to enlarge
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Most of our records come from dry, rocky habitats in the Mountains but we also have several records from the Fall-line Sandhills
Larval Host Plants: Stenophagous, with larvae feeding on Vaccinium species (Wagner et al., 2011)
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Upland Heath Thickets
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 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 Chrysanympha formosa - Formosa Looper

Photos: 17

Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-07-27
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Richard Teper on 2022-06-16
Macon Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2021-07-29
Graham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-06-20
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-06-16
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-06-15
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-06-15
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2021-06-01
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2020-07-21
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-06-22
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-06-22
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2019-07-31
Yancey Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-06-02
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-05-25
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-05-25
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2017-05-17
McDowell Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 1992-07-22
Watauga Co.
Comment: Wingspan = 3.1 cm; forewing length = 1.6 cm.