Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Chrysanympha Members: 60 NC Records

Chrysanympha formosa (Grote, 1865) - Formosa Looper Moth

Chrysanympha formosaChrysanympha formosaChrysanympha formosaChrysanympha formosa
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Plusiinae		Tribe:
Plusiini		P3 Number:
931186		 MONA Number:
8904.00		 Other Common Name:
Beautiful Looper
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 Resources: 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)
Structural photos
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.
Chrysanympha formosaAlamance 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.
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: Larvae reportedly feed on Vaccinium and Gaylussacia species (Wagner et al., 2011; Eichlin & Cunningham, 1978). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Upland Heath Thickets
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S3S4]
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 Moth

Photos: 21
Chrysanympha formosaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-06-11
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Chrysanympha formosaRecorded by: Lior S Carlson, Alicia Cooper-Volkheimer Graeme Cooper-Volkheimer, on 2024-06-08
Orange Co.
Comment:
Chrysanympha formosaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-25
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Chrysanympha formosaRecorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Chrysanympha formosaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-07-27
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Chrysanympha formosaRecorded by: Richard Teper on 2022-06-16
Macon Co.
Comment:
Chrysanympha formosaRecorded by: Owen McConnell on 2021-07-29
Graham Co.
Comment: 		Chrysanympha formosaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-06-20
Madison Co.
Comment:
Chrysanympha formosaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-06-16
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Chrysanympha formosaRecorded by: tom ward on 2021-06-15
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Chrysanympha formosaRecorded by: tom ward on 2021-06-15
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Chrysanympha formosaRecorded by: Vin Stanton on 2021-06-01
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Chrysanympha formosaRecorded by: Darryl Willis on 2020-07-21
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Chrysanympha formosaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-06-22
Madison Co.
Comment:
Chrysanympha formosaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-06-22
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Chrysanympha formosaRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2019-07-31
Yancey Co.
Comment:
Chrysanympha formosaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-06-02
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Chrysanympha formosaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-05-25
Madison Co.
Comment:
Chrysanympha formosaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-05-25
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Chrysanympha formosaRecorded by: K. Bischof on 2017-05-17
McDowell Co.
Comment:
Chrysanympha formosaRecorded by: Stephen Hall on 1992-07-22
Watauga Co.
Comment: Wingspan = 3.1 cm; forewing length = 1.6 cm.