Moths of North Carolina
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Cerma Members:
16 NC Records

Cerma cora Hübner, 1818 - Owl-eyed Bird-dropping Moth


Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: AcronictinaeP3 Number: 931500.00 MONA Number: 9061.00
Comments: One of three members of this genus that occurs in North America (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010), two of which are found in North Carolina. This genus had previously been included in the Acontiinae but has now been moved to the Acronictinae (Wagner, 2007a, 2007b).
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954); Schweitzer et al. (2011)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner, 2007a,b; Schweitzer et al. (2011); Wagner et al. (2011)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized Noctuid with a striking pattern of brownish or sage-green patches in the antemedian and subterminal areas, and a white patch in the median; the median area is also overlain by a set of undulating black lines similar in complexity to those of Polygrammate hebraicum and Harrismemna trisignata, both of which are closely related to Cerma (Wagner, 2007b). The reniform is a conspicuous white circle with a black outline and the terminal area is marked with a series of white and greenish crescents. Cerma cerintha has a similar pattern but the greenish shade is largely replaced by brown and the median area has a more restricted series of paler gray lines crossing the white ground.
Wingspan: 27-30 mm
Adult Structural Features: Genitalia are illustrated in Wagner (2007b).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Last instar larvae are gray with bright yellow and white markings. The white mid-dorsal stripe is continuous on the thorax but broken on the abdomen; the lateral stripe is pale and suffused with orange or yellow. Long, black setae are present and there is a strong hump on segment A8 (see Wagner, 2007a for a detailed description; illustrations are given in Schweitzer et al., 2011, and Wagner et al., 2011).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Found in the Mountains and Outer Coastal Plain, but given the range of habitats it uses is likely to turn up in additional areas
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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