Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members:
Ponometia Members:
1 NC Records

Ponometia exigua (Fabricius, 1793) - Bicolored Bird-dropping Moth

Ponometia exigua
view caption
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: AcontiinaeTribe: AcontiiniP3 Number: 931335 MONA Number: 9115.00
Comments: One of 34 species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010), six of which have been recorded in North Carolina
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Poole (2016)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-small, dimorphically-colored Acontiine. The head, thorax, and ground color of the forewings is orange-brown in the male
Forewing Length: 11 mm (Poole, 2016)
Adult Structural Features: Male and female reproductive structures are illustrated by Poole (2016)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Apparently undescribed (Poole, 2016)
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Recorded in the southern half of the Outer Coastal Plain in North Carolina
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
Flight Comments: Our one record comes from August
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Habitats used in North Carolina -- if it is in fact resident in the state -- are unclear
Larval Host Plants: Unknown (Poole, 2016) - View
Observation Methods: Collected at lights
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: [GNR SU]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This is primarily a Neotropical species and may be only a rare stray in North Carolina. Its residency status needs to be determined before it is placed even on the Watch List.

 Photo Gallery for Ponometia exigua - Bicolored Bird-dropping Moth

Photos: 1

Recorded by: Bo Sullivan on 1994-08-16
Craven Co.
Comment: Female