Moths of North Carolina
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Exyra Members:
58 NC Records

Exyra fax (Grote, 1873) - Epauletted Pitcher-plant Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: PlusiinaeTribe: PlusiiniP3 Number: 931188.00 MONA Number: 9021.00 MONA Synonym: Exyra rolandiana
Comments: One of three members of this genus, all of which are highly associated with Pitcher Plants in the genus Sarracenia, which occurs only in eastern North America. All three species have been recorded in North Carolina. This genus was formerly placed in the Acontiinae (e.g., Forbes, 1954) but was moved to the Plusiinae by Lafontaine and Poole (1991).
Species Status: The names fax and rolandiana have been used in the past to refer to the southern and northern forms of this species respectively (e.g., Forbes, 1954), which have sometimes been considered different species (e.g., Hodges et al., 1984).
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Jones (1921); Forbes (1954); Lafontaine and Poole (1991)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Jones (1921); Forbes (1954); Lafontaine and Poole (1991); Wagner et al. (2011)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A moderately small Noctuid The forewings are variably marked with crimson and yellow; the thorax is usually yellow, although also shaded with crimson. In other species of Exyra, the wings are black and yellow and the thorax is completely black.
Wingspan: 16-28 mm (Forbes, 1954)
Adult Structural Features: Male and female genitalia are illustrated in Lafontaine and Poole (1991).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are dark brown to maroon, with deep pale-banded constrictions between segments (Forbes, 1954; Wagner et al., 2011). Unlike the other two species of Exyra, the larvae of E. fax lack extended warts (also referred to as pinnacula or lappets) on the sides of the thorax and abdomen. The life history of the Exyra species was well-described by Frank Morton Jones, who studied them initially in Richmond County, NC (Jones, 1904). All life stages are closely associated with their host plants: eggs are laid within the entrance to the pitcher; larvae seal off the entrances to the tubes to create a sealed feeding chamber; both overwintering by larvae and pupation typically occurs within the bases of the tubes; and adults typically rest within the tubes between dispersive flights (see Jones, 1921, for details, including slight differences between species).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Occurs in both the northern and southern Coastal Plain, including the Fall-line Sandhills. Formerly, at least, it was also recorded in several bogs in Montgomery County in the eastern Piedmont. However, it now appears to be extirpated from that region. Although Sarracenia purpurea populations occur in the Mountains of North Carolina, so far we have no records of fax from that region.
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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